New Jersey Reaches Another Clean Energy Milestone with 3 Gigawatts of Solar Installed

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities announced that the state has surpassed 3 GW of solar power and 116,000 solar installations statewide, meaning it has joined the list of top 10 states leading the charge for solar energy, according to an October 18 press release. “When it comes to solar installations, New Jersey is rivaling sun-drenched states like Nevada, Arizona and Florida”, the President of the Board stated.

New Jersey completed 100,000 installations by the end of 2018, a landmark in the state’s thriving solar industry which benefitted from net metering, a renewable portfolio standard, and a solar renewable energy credit, or SREC, market.

Earlier this year, the regulator approved a three-year community solar pilot with an annual capacity limited to 75 megawatts for the first year, and at least 75 megawatts for the remaining period. By September, the BPU had received an overwhelming response, attracting over 250 applications that represented more than 650 megawatts of capacity.

The state is also in the process of releasing a final version of the 2019 Energy Master Plan, which provides a blueprint made up of seven strategies for achieving its goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emission by at least 80 percent compared to 2006 levels.