For Immediate Release:	Contact: Bailey Lawrence
Date: 04/30/2024	908-812-4865

TRENTON – At its April 30 Agenda Meeting, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) announced the opening of an additional capacity block of 275 MW in the Community Solar Energy Program (CSEP) for Energy Year 2024. This new capacity will more than double the size of the existing program and enable it to accommodate an additional 40,000 subscribers across the state.

 

“Thanks to the leadership of Governor Murphy and the Legislature, the NJBPU is expanding its highly successful Community Solar Energy Program, which continues to serve as a national model,” said NJBPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy. “The expanded program will reach tens of thousands of additional subscribers and generate millions of dollars in savings for New Jersey ratepayers.”

 

Since the opening of the Community Solar Energy Program in November 2023, the Board has conditionally approved 224 registrations amounting to a total of 225 MW. The initial capacity blocks for all four public utilities reached capacity and have closed. This builds upon the more than 100 projects constructed as part of the Pilot Program. More than 19,000 subscribers in the Pilot Program have already benefited from over $3 million in net bill savings.

 

On January 4, 2024 Governor Phil Murphy signed A4782/S3123, which simplified the CSEP subscription process for low- to moderate-income (LMI) households and expanded capacity available to develop community solar. The Board will also ensure CSEP subscribers receive a more seamless, consolidated energy bill beginning next year.

 

The Board will open project registration for the additional capacity block on May 15, and projects submitted by May 29 will be approved on the basis of highest savings for subscribers if demand exceeds available capacity. All new projects must provide a bill credit discount of at least 20% to subscribers and must reserve at least 51% of capacity for LMI subscribers. LMI subscribers may now also use the approved self-attestation form to qualify.

 

About the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU)

NJBPU is a state agency and regulatory authority mandated to ensure safe, adequate and proper utility services at reasonable rates for New Jersey customers. Critical services regulated by NJBPU include natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, telecommunications, broadband and cable television. The Board has general oversight and responsibility for monitoring utility service, responding to consumer complaints, and investigating utility accidents. To find out more about NJBPU, visit our website at www.nj.gov/bpu.  

 

About New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program (NJCEP)

NJCEP, established on January 22, 2003, in accordance with the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act (EDECA), provides financial and other incentives to the State's residential customers, businesses and schools that install high-efficiency or renewable energy technologies, thereby reducing energy usage, lowering customers' energy bills and reducing environmental impacts. The program is authorized and overseen by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), and its website is www.NJCleanEnergy.com.