Advocates Applaud NJBPU Adoption of Permanent Community Solar Program

Trenton — Today, the collective members of the NJ Shines Coalition and Clean Energy Jobs NJ Coalition applaud the NJ Board of Public Utilities for adopting a permanent community solar program and third community solar solicitation. The permanent program rules will increase equitable access to clean energy by meaningfully eliminating barriers to low and moderate income participation.

The permanent program rules contain the following changes that will allow for increased access:

1. Will allow LMI residents to self-attest their income on community solar applications as an acceptable income verification method. There is no place in our advocacy or in our movements for gatekeeping clean energy, nor for requiring our neighbors to exhaustively document their struggles in order to receive support.
2. Consolidated billing simplifies and improves the experience for community solar subscribers. Billing structure matters.
3. Increased capacity – The last community solar solicitation saw 800 megawatts’ worth of projects apply for only 150 megawatts of capacity. Increasing NJ’s community solar capacity will make New Jersey competitive with other states’ community solar progress (e.g., New York has turned on a gigawatt of community solar). The increase in capacity can also be aided by federal funds ($7 billion) recently earmarked for expanding community solar programs in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Community solar is a powerful tool to expand equitable access to the benefits of solar regardless of income level or housing type, and to provide every New Jerseyan the opportunity to choose local, reliable, and cost-effective clean energy solutions. Low- and moderate-income (LMI) households can save up to 20% ($160) annually on their electricity bills.

“NJBPU’s community solar program – from its infancy as a pilot project to its now permanent status — has been a clear clean energy victory for New Jersey. There are hundreds of thousands that want to go solar, but barriers to adoption stopped them in the past. The adoption of a permanent community solar program – with its increased capacity and streamlined application process – makes it easier for all residents to go solar and save money and allow New Jersey to generate more in-state clean solar power,” said Doug O’Malley, Director of Environment New Jersey.

“New Jersey LCV applauds the BPU for the permanent Community Solar Program. Community solar opens the  doors to clean energy access for low and moderate-income families and renters. Beneficiaries could see a savings of about 15 percent or more on their energy bills,” said Allison McLeod, Senior Policy Director, New Jersey LCV. “In addition to being good for our wallets, community solar is clean, renewable energy, which is better for our climate and for public health. As we seek to transition away from dirty sources of energy, community solar has the potential to meet a significant portion of our energy capacity needs in New Jersey by 2035, and we are excited to see the program expanding.”

This is particularly important because LMI communities, especially communities of color, face disproportionately high utility bills and exposure to air pollution from fossil fuels, often with serious impacts on health and wellbeing. These inequities are further exacerbated every day we delay the transition to 100% clean energy.

The coalition supports increasing the annual capacity of the Community Solar Energy Program from 150 megawatts per year and addressing barriers for LMI families to access community solar.

The permanent community solar program will make clean renewable energy accessible for more New Jersey residents. While there is still meaningful work to do – including deepening support for community owned projects, workforce development, and increasing community engagement – this is an important step forward.

Increasing NJ’s community solar could be aided by federal funds ($7 billion) available in the Inflation Reduction Act. New Jersey advocates are optimistic about the future of community solar in the state and will continue working toward an equitable and clean energy future for New Jersey.

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