energy
April 26, 2024
Governor Phil Murphy celebrated the culmination of Earth Week by announcing a number of new solar initiatives aimed at improving overall accessibility and making solar power more affordable for residents.
New Jersey is already expected to surpass 200,000 solar installations next month and exceed 5 gigawatts of solar capacity this year.
“Earth Week is not just a time for reflection and contemplation. Now is the time to take action. Now is the time to go green and stand up for our neighbors who have endured generations of environmental injustice. It’s time to take a bold step forward,” Murphy said. “New Jersey is committed to clean energy. We are on track to procure more solar power this year than ever before, helping us meet all of our solar power goals. And more importantly, we can make solar energy more affordable and accessible than ever, while righting many of the wrongs of the past.”
Joined by environmental advocates, elected officials, and community and labor leaders, the governor announced a commitment to clean energy that will help the state reach its goal of reducing emissions by 80% by 2050. Announced five major investments.
The first investment the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded to New Jersey this week was $156.1 million through the Solar for All competition, part of a historic $27 billion investment created under President Biden’s Inflation Control Act. It is part of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
This funding will help lower income and It will be used to support impactful solar power programs that enable people and underprivileged communities to benefit from clean energy. , support solar workforce development and enable critical power grid upgrades to support more solar power in New Jersey.
New Jersey’s Solar for All award is expected to provide approximately 175 megawatts of solar energy to 22,000 low-income households in the first five years of funding, resulting in new connections. Residents of these households will save approximately $250 million in utility costs over 30 years. . In addition, the award is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 240,000 short tons and enable 90 megawatt-hours of energy storage associated with multifamily housing.
The federal government’s Solar For All program was developed through extensive engagement with key environmental, environmental justice, economic development, labor, and other stakeholder groups.
New Jersey received the highest amount awarded to any state in that category.
The Governor also today detailed the huge solar power investment that the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) approved last week, creating 310 megawatts of grid-scale solar power and New Jersey’s first state incentives. A type of energy storage project will be created. This award marks the first successful public call for New Jersey’s new competitive solar incentive program and comes after several record years for solar installations in New Jersey. This is the largest public award to date for any photovoltaic power generation program.
The award also includes a 95-megawatt project, which has the lowest cost per megawatt to ratepayers and is New Jersey’s largest solar power project to date. The award also includes solar power projects that transform contaminated sites and landfills, a major redevelopment and environmental justice priority of the Murphy administration.
Equally important, this latest offering will reduce the cost of SREC II (Solar Renewable Energy Certificates) by more than half, ultimately reducing costs for ratepayers.
Mr. Murphy has proposed $40 million in the 2025 budget ($15 million in state funds and $25 million from the Clean Energy Fund) to improve the power grid to enable clean energy interconnections and support a strong energy supply. It proposed providing state matching funds to leverage millions of dollars in federal grants for modernization. Union workforce. Additionally, these grants will help deploy cutting-edge technologies to address threats to the state’s power system infrastructure, prevent power outages, strengthen grid resiliency, and increase grid flexibility. It has the potential to support the innovative development of comprehensive and regional resilience strategies.
Murphy also highlighted the recently announced 225 megawatts of community solar and the resumption of the community solar energy program with an additional 275 megawatts, which he said will be considered by the NJBPU Board of Directors on April 30. . New Jersey’s Permanent Community Solar Energy Program increases the completion rate of solar power projects, increases the participation of low- to moderate-income households, reduces energy burdens for residents, increases the involvement of municipalities and public entities, and is expected to continue locating solar power projects in the built environment and on contaminated land.
Additionally, NJBPU plans to launch a dual-use solar pilot program this summer aimed at providing up to 200 megawatts of solar power generation capacity in combination with active agricultural or horticultural production.
“With the start of this project, New Jersey continues to lead the way toward a sustainable clean energy future,” said Sen. Bob Smith, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee. “This project will not only harness clean energy, it will empower communities and make sustainable electricity more accessible to all residents in the state.”
The governor made these announcements in Berkeley Township, Ocean County, where CS Energy’s new Eagle Solar I and II community solar projects are nearing completion. This 10 MW project will provide power to approximately 1,600 homes in the region while offering a 51% discount to all subscribers, including 20% low- and moderate-income (LMI) customers. This is expected to save households over $200 per year. All 1,600 homes will cost less than $7 million over his 20-year lifespan of the project.
The first phase of the massive project closed and capped the 40-acre landfill at no cost to the town after nearly 40 years. This marks the first time the state’s community solar incentives have been used by a solar developer to fund the closure of a former landfill. Landfill. This paved the way for the construction of his solar power project, one of his two largest community solar power projects in New Jersey. This was made possible primarily through support from his NJBPU and collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey State Government. Pinelands Commission.
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