Pemberton Borough NJ has hidden
their objective from public scrutiny
for years. When solar panels are
installed in the Borough, the
Pemberton Borough Electric
Department takes everything produced
by the system. Their Code doesn’t
say this. Their Code, until last
Wednesday, said they will purchase
the Excess energy. Their Code also
stated that they will use a separate
Utility Meter to measure the Excess
but didn’t specify how that meter
was to be installed. On Wednesday
they changed their code to remove
the word “excess”.
Not once in the many contacts and
presentations to the Borough over
the past 18 months did they state
that it was their policy to take all
the electricity produced by the
solar panels that were purchased and
installed by a resident. Ina Cabanas
back in 2005 found out the hard way
that they were taking it all. She
installed a system with the
understanding that in accordance
with the code, they would take only
her Excess Electricity. Although she
fought long and hard, she was unable
to get them to change their policy.
The most recent resident to install
solar was Bruce Buzalski. Believing
the Code that they would take the
Excess energy he installed a system.
He spent $22500 to have it installed
only to find out after months of
testing, the Borough Electrician had
installed the “Excess” energy meter
in parallel with the house meter
thus drawing off every electron
produced. Yet, never in the 18
months of discourse, until last
Wednesday, did the Borough Council
finally state that it was their
intent from the beginning to take it
all.
The Borough Code doesn’t specify the
type of meter to be used nor does it
specify how that meter should be
installed. The solar installer asked
one electrician whose number was
given them by the borough
administrator, Donna Mull, how the
meters should be arranged. He stated
that the meter should be connected
from the solar panels to the home
meter. When the installer configured
them that way, the Borough bought
all the power but then charged the
resident for everything sent to the
grid. Their home meter is programed
to sum the energy flowing in both
directions, another fact that is not
in the Code. The system has been
shut down.
At the meeting they were asked why
they didn’t just prohibit solar
panels. The mayor stated that would
be illegal. Prohibiting them is
illegal but by ordinance taking all
the solar energy produced by a
system is not? They do pay the
system owner for the power they
take. However when comparing the
cost of the energy produced to what
the Borough pays, there is a huge
loss to the owner. So the Borough is
able to skirt the law, rob power
from a resident and it is all
perfectly legal.
The Borough has it’s own electric
department and supplies energy to
all the residents. Their rates are
uncontrolled which is why at 22¢ per
kwh their residents are paying the
highest amount in the state. They
are unregulated because they are, by
law, not subject to the oversight
and control of the NJ Board of
Public Utilities. As the former
mayor was proud of saying, “We can
do anything we want” and they do.
Why do they take this position? They
make a huge profit from the sale of
electricity. It is their “Goose that
lays their golden eggs”. The budget
is dependent on taking the profit
from their electric department and
transferring it to the general fund.
This is in effect taxing their
residents through their electricity
usage. This taxation includes non
profits who by law should not be
taxed yet they are struggling with
huge electric bills because the
Borough chooses to pad their nest in
this way.
However you look at it, Pemberton
Borough is not serving its residents
well with their electric operation.
The residents would be better off
with the public utilities which are
prevented from milking unfair
profits from their customers. Where
are the elected legislative
representatives. Why do they allow a
Borough in their jurisdiction to
treat their constituents so
unfairly? |