This South Jersey Community Finally Closer to Lower Electric Bills

Over the last 5 years, New Jersey electricity costs for residents have increased by an average of 52.3 percent. Just in 2026, both NJ homeowners and business owners have seen electricity rates increase by an average of 16.1 percent.

But instead of addressing the underlying cause of these electric bill price hikes or proposing real solutions, most state politicians have chosen to use this issue as a talking point in political campaigns. While the average NJ Resident and business owner is struggling to cover utility costs, too many men and women who claim to "represent" us have instead used this real issue as an opportunity to verbally Joust with their political opponents.

There is some good news for one South Jersey community that has been waiting almost a decade for their real-world solution to rising electricity costs.

Decades after the municipal landfill was done being used, Woodbine residents are finally getting the news they have been waiting for to bring a solar farm to their community.

Back in 2019, initial plans were set in motion to cap the former 100-acre landfill site on Fidler Hill Road with a solar energy company installing a 10-megawatt solar farm. But thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and other unforeseen delays, the project, seven years later, is being transferred to a new company who will begin work next year.

CEP Renewables, an energy developer located in Red Bank, New Jersey, has an agreement in place to take over the solar farm project , and is working with the City of Woodbine to cover the initial costs of the landfill cap.

Reports say the current plan is to begin work on the former landfill site early in 2027, with a projection of six months to finish the capping of the site before they can begin installing the solar technology. The news of the project finally moving foward means Woodbine residents and businesses could see the new solar farm up and running in Spring 2028.

Estimates by Woodbine City Officials say that the new solar farm will save the community 20 percent on their electric bills. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) says that most community solar farms will save residents and business owners at least 15 percent on their utility bills.

The initial 5,000 acres purchased by the Baron de Hirsch Fund in 1891 was the precursor to the incorporation of the Woodbine Municipality in 1903. Originally an agricultural community, today the City of Woodbine is an amalgamation of rural and suburban-style communities.  Located between Upper Township and Dennis Township in western Cape May County, Woodbine is home to popular regional small businesses such as Gentilini Motors Family Owned Dealership, Ludlam Island Brewery, and Woodbine Meat Market.