Community solar panels installed in Perth Amboy. Photo courtesy of Solar Landscape.
NJ is a National Leader for Solar Power
Did you know the first practical photovoltaic cell (solar panel technology) was developed in 1954 at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey? Yes, you read that right!
From the beginning, New Jersey has been a national leader for installed solar energy. The state currently has a long-term solar goal of 32 gigawatts (GW) of capacity by 2050, set by former Governor Murphy in his 2019 Energy Master Plan.
Currently, New Jersey has over 5.5 GW of installed solar capacity across more than 235,000 individual installations and ranks second nationally for solar capacity per square mile (as of 2025). The county with the largest amount of installed solar is Middlesex, with Burlington in second place. You can find more information on solar installations by New Jersey county at the NJDEP dashboard here.
NJ Sierra Club Solar Advocacy
The New Jersey Sierra Club strongly supports expanding solar energy as a rapid, affordable clean energy source that can shift us away from fossil fuel generation in our grid.
Over the years, the Chapter has successfully advocated for rooftop and parking lot installations, widescale community solar for low-to-moderate-income residents, faster solar permitting, and legislation enabling affordable plug-in solar. We celebrated this progress in 2024 and stood alongside advocates, government officials, and labor representatives when the state received over $150 million of Solar For All Funding (press conference).
In 2025, the Chapter hosted a highly popular community picnic and hike in Holmdel to celebrate Sun Day nationwide mobilization led by renowned environmental activist Bill McKibben. The event was in celebration of the clean power of the sun and marked a pivotal moment in America's clean energy transformation (photos).
Community Solar – Solar Energy for All
The New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club proudly supports the expansion of community solar programs because they help ensure lower-cost solar energy is available to all, including lower-income families or renters/apartment dwellers who don’t own their own homes.
In 2018, New Jersey established a successful pilot program for community solar power, through which New Jerseyans have been able to purchase more affordable solar energy directly from the grid even without having solar panels at home. Thanks to the advocacy of the NJ Sierra Club and other environmental groups, at least 51% of community solar capacity in New Jersey must be allocated to low to moderate income (LMI) households. We successfully pushed for priority to be given to solar arrays located on rooftops, brownfields or landfills–where their installation won’t take green space out of commission.
In 2023, alongside our coalition partners, we celebrated the NJ Board of Public Utilities’ permanent rollout of the Community Solar Program. This included legislative provisions (A4782/S3123) designed to make it easier for low and moderate income households to participate in this stellar money-saving, clean energy program.
As a result, our state currently leads the nation in planned capacity of community solar serving LMI households. So far, New Jersey has authorized more than 3,000 MW of community solar capacity, enough to serve 450,000 households!
For more information about community solar, check out the NJ Clean Energy Program here.
Benefits of Solar Power in NJ
Environmental Benefits
Unlike dirty fossil fuels like coal, gas, and oil, solar power and other clean energy sources are renewable (we can’t run out of sunshine!). Solar does not emit harmful pollutants or greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change and the degradation of our air quality. Because of this, clean energy helps to keep our environment healthy, improves our air quality and public health, and mitigates climate change.
Benefiting NJ’s Green Economy & Creating Good Jobs
Across New Jersey, the development of solar power has created thousands of good-paying jobs in manufacturing, installation, sales, and more. Many large-scale solar projects also support union jobs through the building trades. Solar energy has kickstarted a new clean energy industry benefitting New Jersey’s green and local economies.
Saving Ratepayers Money
Utility-scale solar power is one of the cheapest sources of electricity. Further, by installing solar panels or subscribing to community solar, businesses, homeowners, and residents across the state can benefit from lower electricity bills and see significant long-term savings.