An abbreviated version of this article appeared in the April - June 2022 Jersey Sierran
Home Solar Issues Coordinator's Report
By Abbas Salim, azas786@yahoo.com
In 2019, New Jersey established the three-year Community Solar Energy Pilot Program, administered by the NJ Board of Public Utilities (BPU). Gov. Phil Murphy has called the pilot program a national model for making solar accessible to underserved communities and a key part of the state’s commitment to transition to 100% clean energy by 2050.
To achieve this goal, the Clean Energy Initiative has charted a plan to install 32 gigawatts (GW) of solar power by year 2050. As of October 31, 2021, 3.7 GW of solar had been installed in New Jersey, including a blend of installations, such as residential, nonresidential, grid-supplied and community solar. With over 148,000 solar installations, the Garden State is No. 1 in the United States for installed solar capacity per square mile.