New Providence reviews draft community energy plan emphasizing solar, EV chargers and grant access

At a Borough of New Providence council meeting, consultant Lindsay Msia of the firm Hire Grul and Associates presented a draft community energy plan developed with a Board of Public Utilities grant and input gathered from residents and borough staff. Msia told council the plan aligns with New Jersey's statewide energy master plan, "Pathway to 2050," and is structured as background plus an action-oriented list of 33 initiatives.

Msia said the plan's benefits include improved air quality, energy-cost savings, job creation and access to state funding "like the BPU community energy plan implementation grant which awards municipalities for projects up to $250,000." She described how the plan was informed by a one-month public survey (97 responses), noting that 62% of respondents prioritized increased renewable energy such as solar and that the borough's documented electric vehicles rose from five in 2015 to 617 in 2025. Msia also said about 57% of borough properties are solar-viable per publicly available mapping tools and that there are currently 42 known solar installations in town (30 residential, 10 commercial, two "other").

The presentation highlighted Initiative 1.6, which recommends installing public EV charging infrastructure (chargers, signage and accessibility features). Msia said public works would lead that initiative and listed likely funding sources discussed in the plan: state plug-in grants for level 2 chargers and BPU programs that can support municipal fleets and chargers. For implementation she recommended identifying strategic locations for chargers, deciding whether the borough or a partner would own and maintain equipment, and creating public-facing maps of charging locations.

Council members pressed for a concise appendix showing all 33 initiatives in priority order, with the lead department identified for each item and timing notes where available. Several council members and residents asked whether grants fund publicly accessible chargers (Msia: grants typically require public siting and are available to municipalities and nonprofits) and whether the plan will be adopted; borough staff confirmed the plan is on next month's agenda for adoption consideration and can be adjusted based on council feedback prior to adoption.

Msia also explained the plan's review cadence: the document recommends revisiting the plan at least every 10 years and notes that Sustainable Jersey certification reviews occur on a multi-year cycle (the borough recently achieved Silver certification). Msia said the plan is a "living document" that can be reordered as funding and departmental capacity permit.

Next steps described to council included producing a consolidated list of initiatives in priority order with assigned leads (Msia offered to provide that appendix), review by the borough's sustainability committee and formal consideration of the draft at the council's next meeting.