About Gravel Pit Solar.

What

The Gravel Pit Solar farm will be located on a 485-acre site that includes former sand and gravel pits and is adjacent to former tobacco fields, next to a landfill and multiple high voltage transmission lines.

Where

The Gravel Pit Solar farm will be located on a 485-acre site that includes former sand and gravel pits and is adjacent to former tobacco fields, next to a landfill and multiple high voltage transmission lines.  

The total footprint of the project will be 485  acres. A wooded buffer surrounds nearly the entire project footprint, but new landscaping will be added to help screen the areas not already buffered.

We selected this location after analyzing other suitable sites and using selection criteria including:

• Avoiding impacts to sensitive natural and cultural resources
• Minimizing impacts to host communities
• Access to the existing transmission system with capacity
• Minimizing environmental impact
• Close proximity to large energy load centers

Why

Solar energy is an abundant, source of zero-carbon electricity. By offsetting power generated by existing fossil fuel-burning power plants, Gravel Pit Solar is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 107,000 metric tons per year. To put that in perspective, that’s the equivalent of taking 23,000 cars off the road.

Community Benefits

Once in operation, Gravel Pit Solar will be a significant new taxpayer in the Town of East Windsor. Other community benefits include:

• Producing 100 percent renewable energy
• Conversion of gravel pit to a quiet and more environmentally compatible use
• Enhancement of existing farmland soils by use of long-term cover crops such as cool season grasses that sequester atmospheric carbon in the soil and improve soil health
• Promote soil fertility by including species such as alfalfa and white clover that fix atmospheric nitrogen into forms available to grasses in the seed mix
• At the end of the solar farm’s useful life, we’ll remove all equipment

Good Neighbors

We are interested in continued community and stakeholder engagement during  the development, construction and operations of the solar project.

About Us

D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) is a leading renewable energy developer, owner and operator.

We work with local partners to develop solar projects in close coordination with our home communities. We have a history of collaborating with local partners and landowners to respond to their individual concerns.

In conjunction with industry and academic experts, we have created construction and management techniques that help to reduce environmental impact, as well as improve and maintain soil health.

Our design and procurement strategies focus on using advanced solar panel and racking technologies to help maximize production and minimize project footprint.