100% Renewable For New Jersey

We can harness energy from the sun and wind more efficiently and cheaper than ever before. America now gets more than three times as much power from the wind, the sun and the earth as we did in 2012. And renewable energy sales have increased close to four times here in New Jersey over the past decade as well. 

But New Jersey still only gets 6% of our electricity from renewables like wind and solar. We have to do better. New Jersey’s fossil fuel power plants contribute to the air pollution across the state, with a majority of our counties receiving a failing grade from the American Lung Association for ozone smog pollution, and these plants are the largest single source of global warming pollutants in the state.

We can’t afford to wait. Extreme weather events like Hurricane Ida, which led to 30 deaths and more than $24 billion in damages, are a stark reminder that we need to be doing everything we can to transition away from polluting fossil fuels.

Setting a 100% clean energy goal in New Jersey

We’ve seen that when states set clear goals for renewable energy, businesses and consumers respond. As New Jersey ratcheted up our goals for solar and wind, we saw solar go from six installations to 150,000 in just the last two decades. Our first big offshore wind farm is scheduled to start generating power by the end of next year. If we keep aiming higher, we can harness more power from the sun and the wind, clean up our air, and stop adding more global warming pollution to the atmosphere. That’s why we’re calling for the state to commit to 100% clean electricity by 2035.

Solar and wind power just make sense. They can provide power for our state from a clean, healthy and local source – the sun and the wind. There are no fossil fuels to pay for, and the cost for renewable is increasingly becoming more and more affordable. That’s why New Jersey residents support renewables across party lines with more than 80% of the public.

Momentum is growing for clean energy

New Jersey has been inching closer toward a statewide commitment to 100% clean electricity. In 2018, the New Jersey Legislature committed to getting 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, and during the 2017 gubernatorial campaign, Gov. Murphy committed to a goal of reaching 100% clean energy by 2050 and more recently to 100% clean energy by 2035. We’re urging the state to give the Governor’s commitment the power of law. And it should be even easier to achieve given the federal government’s big investments in clean energy and the technological advances and economies of scale those investments are beginning to unleash.

Tell NJ leaders to commit to 100% clean energy

The New Jersey Legislature could consider a bill (S2978) this year that could set a clear goal of getting 100% clean electricity by 2035. But the only way that bill will get heard is if Senate President Nicholas Scutari decides to move the bill to the floor of the Senate. The more our state elected officials hear from their constituents about transitioning our state to clean, renewable energy, the more likely it is that the legislature will act. 

Renewables are on the rise across the country

New Jersey has historically been a clean energy leader and it’s time to reclaim that mantle by passing an aggressive clean energy legislation to expand clean, renewable energy and finally transition off dirty, polluting fossil fuels. Environment New Jersey has put climate and clean energy at the core of our policy agenda, since our inception more than 15 years ago. 

Environment New Jersey is part of Environment America, which has been working to set goals of 100% renewables across the country. Our network has already helped to secure commitments in 11 states, from California, to Rhode Island. Together, these 11 states account for more than a fourth of our country’s total electricity consumption. It’s time for our leaders to make the same commitment for the Garden State.