New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approves rules for community solar pilot program
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) recently approved the rules for a three-year community solar energy pilot program.
The Community Solar Pilot has an annual capacity limit of 75 megawatts (MW) for the first year and at least 75 MW for the second and third years. The pilot program will generate market information and implementation data to inform the development of a permanent community solar program.
To join, customers can either purchase an ownership share of a community solar system or sign up for a recurring monthly subscription. The benefit of participating is represented as a bill credit on each subscriber’s utility bill.
The pilot will earmark 40 percent of the overall program capacity for low- and moderate-income projects.
“Solar has been extremely successful in New Jersey – with the state having passed 100,000 installations in 2018 – but has not been accessible for everyone,” NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso said. “The point of this pilot program is to take the first step toward ensuring that we change this dynamic.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has set a goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050. Solar initiatives such as community solar and the transition to a new solar energy program are a key part of Murphy’s clean energy agenda.
