More rooftop solar, less red tape
Smart Solar Permitting A Clean Sweep in the NJ Assembly
Smart solar permitting was a bipartisan success in NJ with an unanimous passage through the NJ Assembly by a vote of 77-0.
New Jerseyans are bracing for a summer of skyrocketing energy rates while continuing to grapple with the ever-worsening effects of climate change. We should be taking every opportunity to deliver energy savings to families while unleashing clean energy, which means that we need to double-down on installing residential rooftop solar.
We have long been a solar leader in New Jersey, with more than 200,000 installations across the state. But our progress is being hindered by burdensome permitting red tape that drives up install costs for homeowners and leads more than one in five projects to be cancelled.
A5264/S4100 (Asm. Karabinchak/Sen. McKeon) provides the step forward – and the legislation just passed the NJ Assembly unanimously today by a vote of 77-0. This bill would make it cheaper and easier for homeowners to install solar. Why is that important? Smart solar permitting will allow homeowners with code-compliant projects to get the approvals they need online, nearly instantly. S4100/A5264 would do just that by requiring the State to make a smart permitting platform for home solar and battery projects available to all New Jersey municipalities.
As of 2024, New Jersey had the third-slowest solar permitting timelines in the country, far longer than many states without any climate goals. Approximately 22 percent of residential solar projects that apply for permits are canceled, with contractors citing permitting issues as the biggest reason for the cancellations. For projects that proceed, permitting and related barriers increase costs to homeowners from anywhere from $3,800 to $4,500, according to an upcoming Greenhouse Institute analysis. In addition, more solar installed will save New Jersey ratepayers more than $87 million by 2030 and add more than 560 clean energy jobs.
What’s the next step? The legislation also passed out of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee today unanimously and it will move next to the Senate Budget Committee – we are hopeful that we can get the bill passed by the State Senate by the end of June.
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Authors
Doug O'Malley
State Director, Environment New Jersey
As director of Environment New Jersey, Doug has led campaigns to fast-track New Jersey’s clean energy economy via offshore wind, solar and energy efficiency programs, to rejoin New Jersey in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) program, oppose the expansion of fossil fuel projects, and expand electric vehicles across the state. He has also led campaigns focused on New Jersey’s drinking water quality and protection of the state’s watershed lands. Doug serves on the boards of the NJ Work Environment Council, and the Environmental Endowment of New Jersey and is the president of ChargEVC, an electric vehicle coalition. He was recognized by EPA Region II with an Environmental Quality Award in 2012.
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