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Business & Tech

Lucent Flips Switch on Solar Panels

While all applaud the telecom giant's decision to "go green," some think the location of the panels is somewhat of an eyesore although it spurs Berkeley Heights township to accelerate its own solar projects.

Capping eight months of facility planning, vendor cooperation and electrical system integration, Alcatel Lucent flipped the switch on nearly two acres of solar panels on Tuesday at its Murray Hill campus that straddles both Berkeley Heights and New Providence municipalities.

The system, which will generate 1.2 megawatts of electricity, is expected to reduce the company's energy costs by $2.5 million over 15 years.

"The capacity of the system power is  equivalent to powering 200 New Jersey homes and removes 25,000 tons of carbon emissions over its 30 year life, the equivalent of removing about 8,000 cars from the New Jersey Turnpike," said Alcatel Lucent's general council Steve Reynolds, who flipped the switch on the system.  

Mayor Joseph Bruno, who was invited to the switch flipping ceremony but had a scheduling conflict, said by phone later that he applauds Alcatel Lucent's efforts to go green -- he just wishes they could have been a little more out of sight.

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"I applaud them for going green," Bruno said, "but putting them right on Mountain Avenue appears to be a little bit of an eyesore. It's a mixed thing for me. I am wondering if there was another spot where they could have encapsulated the panels a little more. I hope the shrubs they put in front of them grow in because people slowing down to look at the panels can cause a traffic problem."

Based on jurisdiction, there are approximately 20 panels located in Berkeley Heights and the remaining of the 3,728 panels are in New Providence.

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"To land the panels the way that they need to be landed we needed a relatively flat area that get a lot of sun," said John Labiak, director of project development for Con Edison.

Despite his opinion on aesthetics, Bruno said Berkeley Heights' own green team is in full swing, looking for ways to become more eco-friendly. He said the town recently surveyed the buildings in town for ways to become more eco-friendly, which also includes lighting.

"Our green team is very active," Bruno said. "We are also looking at solar panels for our buildings. It's the way to go."

New Providence Council President Mike Gennaro, who attended the switch flipping ceremony  in place of Mayor J. Brooke Hern, said New Providence is lucky and proud to be the home of a world class company like Alcatel Lucent.

"We are grateful for the support and collaboration from New Providence and Berkeley Heights township and our energy partners from Con Ed Development and Sun Power for helping bring this magnificent solar center to life," he said.

And he added, "We are also grateful for the cooperation shown by Alcatel Lucent, Con Edison and Sun Power in laying out this beautiful facility with landscaping to allow our residents and visitors to continue to enjoy the front view of the Alcatel- Lucent Murray Hill facility."

Gennaro made special note of the significance of the solar power array launch.  The solar battery, which was invented in Bell Labs' in 1954, was the world's first device to successfully convert sunlight into electricity. It was originally developed to assist with telephone service in rural areas.

"It is fitting that we are here today to flip the switch on a later generation device that will power the facility where the original device was invented," Gennaro said. "New Providence looks forward to many  more years in partnerships with Alcatel- Lucent for the good of our community."

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