New Jersey has over 135,000 solar installations. That’s the most installed solar capacity per square mile in the entire country. One of the big reasons New Jersey leads the US in the transition to solar energy is its Community Solar program.
The Community Solar program increases New Jersey’s reliance on clean energy and helps promote clean energy equity. That means it focuses on providing clean energy to low-to-moderate income (LMI) households who wouldn’t have access otherwise.
In this article, we’ll go over exactly what the Community Solar program is, its success so far, and what the future of community solar looks like in New Jersey.
Table of Contents
Drone photo of a solar carport in Woodbridge Township, NJ
What is the New Jersey Community Solar Program?
The New Jersey Community Solar Program is an initiative to increase the state’s solar energy output and spread it among multiple households—especially those that are LMI.
The program works on a subscription-based model where participants (aka subscribers) apply to a subscriber organization (aka developer) to have access to solar energy.
In any community solar project, there are 3 main players:
- The site host makes space available for a solar array, whether that’s on a rooftop, parking lot, brownfield, landfill, or some other surface.
- The developer builds and maintains the photovoltaic (PV) site and gets subscribers to sign up for clean energy.
- Subscribers are homes or businesses that pay a monthly subscription to receive solar energy from developers. In some cases, subscribers even buy a piece of the PV system to have a permanent claim to its output.
This energy utility model is unique because it allows residents to benefit from solar energy without needing to purchase, install, or maintain solar panels on their own. And it also allows them to live far away from where the solar power is generated. With the community solar program, electric utility customers can easily switch to clean energy and benefit from guaranteed cost savings.
The New Jersey Community Solar program was commissioned by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) as part of Governor Murphy’s 2018 clean energy agenda, which strives to achieve 100% clean energy by 2050.
“Our historic Community Solar Energy Pilot Program is a national example for its focus on clean energy equity and will help to inform the development of a permanent community solar program with environmental justice at its core.”
- Phil Murphy, Governor of New Jersey
The Success of The Energy Pilot Program
To date, the energy pilot program has been a huge success. The first two pilot years saw subscriber applications far exceed expectations. Here’s a brief rundown of the program’s history:
In its first year (2019), the program received 252 applications, of which it approved 45. Even though just 40% of solar projects were reserved for LMI customers, LMI households ended up receiving the total 78 MW from all solar projects.
In its second year (2020), the program received 412 applications, representing over 800 MW worth of solar energy. 150 MW were approved, and all but one application was designated to benefit LMI communities.
After the great success of years 1 and 2, the New Jersey government decided to replace the pilot initiative with a permanent program set to start in 2022.
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Notable Community Solar Projects in New Jersey
Before we get into New Jersey’s permanent Community Solar program going forward, here are some of the notable community solar projects that already came from the initiative:
Linden Hawk Rise Solar
The Linden Hawk Rise is a solar project developed by Navisun LLC and one of the first 45 solar projects approved by the Community Solar Program. It repurposed a landfill in the city of Linden by installing 4.5 MW worth of solar arrays there. The PV system now provides clean energy to 800 NJ residents, over half of which are LMI.
Drone photo of Linden Hawk Rise community solar system in Union County, NJ
Duke Realty 1
The very first community solar project in New Jersey was completed by industrial real estate investment trust company (REIT) Duke Realty and commercial PV installer Solar Landscape. Duke Realty 1 is a 4.33 MW roof-mounted PV system in Perth Amboy that generates 5.3 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity each year. Overall, Duke Realty has installed over 18,000 solar panels across all its commerical rooftops, selling solar energy to more than 1,200 homes, 50% of which are LMI.
Drone photo of Duke Realty 1 community solar system in Middlesex County, NJ
Tri-County Solar Farm
Lastly, solar company Soltage developed a 3.1 MW solar installation in the township of Delanco called the Tri-County Solar Farm. The company expects this PV system to power 700 houses, 55% of which are LMI.
Drone photo of Tri-County community solar system in Burlington County, NJ
The Bright Future of Community Solar in New Jersey
Today, New Jersey’s Community Solar program continues to grow. In fact, similar programs have been growing across the entire US. Some reports expect 4.5 gigawatts (GW) worth of community solar to come online over the next 5 years. And the Department of Energy (DOE) plans to build enough community solar to power 5 million homes by 2025.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t photovoltaic challenges ahead. For one, reaching the DOE goal requires increasing current solar energy production capacities by 700%. That will require a massive energy infrastructure overhaul. Plus, many eastern states are behind in connecting solar projects to the grid. For example, PJM Interconnection faces an interconnection backlog of over 1,200 projects, which include many in New Jersey.
Drone photo of PATCO Lindenwald Station solar system in Camden County, NJ
That said, New Jersey’s Community Solar has a lot going for it. In addition to the success of its first two pilots years, it’s also supported by a recent NJ law that requires all new warehouses over 100,000 square feet to be “solar-ready,” which means they’ll need to set aside roof space for solar panels, install solar water heating systems, or do similar initiatives to support solar energy.
Finally, New Jersey has also adopted an Energy Master Plan that outlines 7 ways to improve its energy system, which include accelerating the deployment of renewable and distributed energy resources and supporting community energy planning and action in underserved communities. While there may be some roadblocks along the way, it’s clear that New Jersey is prepared as ever to reach new heights in the clean energy transition.
What's included in YOUR GUIDE...
Techniques for Exposing Warrantiable Items on Your PV Sites.
A Proven Roadmap for Successfully Implementing Drones in Solar.
Strategies for Identifying DC Losses and Avoiding Downtime.
