Solar Company Says Canvassing In Edison Had 'Educational' Purpose

EDISON, NJ — Solar energy company Arcadia said its door-to-door canvassing activities this weekend were intended to educate residents, not scam them.

A police alert had been issued on the department's social media page to the community regarding a solar company's interaction with residents while canvassing, saying residents should not divulge any personal or financial information.

But Arcadia says it was a misunderstanding.

"Arcadia is not a scam — we’re the nation’s leading community solar subscription manager and we’re proud to operate in New Jersey as a registered member of New Jersey’s clean energy program," a company spokesman said.

The spokesman said its representative spoke with the Edison Police Department to address "the confusion," which was "related to some door-to-door canvassing activities — a critical part of our effort to educate interested township residents about our local community solar farm program."

Deputy Chief Robert J. Dudash Jr. said Monday anyone soliciting door-to-door in Edison must first have an approved permit. He said no application was made by a company named Arcadia - or any other solar company, and there are no current approved permits for such a solicitation.

In its alert, the police department reminded residents not to release personal information to unknown entities. Scams of all varieties have been rampant among the public, and such warnings are often issued by law enforcement.

Arcadia explained New Jersey’s Community Solar Energy Program, approved by the state Board of Public Utilities:

It “enables utility customers to participate in a solar energy project that is remotely located from their property” — and Arcadia is "one of the subscriber organizations that helps customers do just that," the company said. For more information, it directed those interested to see: https://njcleanenergy.com/renewable-energy/programs/community-solar.

This story has been updated with information from Arcadia.