Gov. Phil Murphy, other officials and stakeholders closed out Earth Week last Friday, gathering in Berkeley Township to unveil a number of new solar initiatives. The efforts aim to boost accessibility and affordability for residents, toward the administration’s lofty clean energy goals.

Murphy announced five major investments April 26 he says will enable the state to meet its target of reducing emissions 80% by 2050.

“Earth Week is not just a time for reflection or contemplation. It is a time for action. It is a time to take bold steps in caring for our environment and advocating for our neighbors who have endured generations of environmental injustice,” said Murphy.

Solar investments Murphy outlined include:

• $156.1 million awarded to New Jersey last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Solar for All competition. The funds will support programs that enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to benefit from clean energy by expanding solar access for multifamily affordable housing. It is anticipated to deliver 175 megawatts of solar energy, benefiting 22,000 low-income households within the first five years of funding.
• A sizable solar investment awarded earlier this month by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities that will create 310 megawatts of grid-scale solar and the first state-incentivized energy project in New Jersey. It marks the first successful solicitation of New Jersey’s new Competitive Solar Incentive Program and the largest solicitation award to date in any New Jersey solar program.
• The proposed $40 million in Murphy’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposal. $15 million in state funds and $25 million from the Clean Energy Fund would provide state matching funds to leverage millions in federal grant dollars for electric grid modernization to enable clean energy interconnection and support a strong union workforce.
• The recently announced 225 megawatts of community solar and the re-opening of the Community Solar Energy Program for an additional 275 megawatts, which the NJBPU board will consider April 30.
• The NJBPU is slated to launch the Dual-Use Solar Pilot Program this summer. That effort looks to award up to 200 megawatts of solar capacity combined with active agricultural or horticultural production.

All in

“New Jersey is all in on clean energy,” said Murphy. “We are on track this year to produce more solar than ever before, which will help us hit all of our solar goals – and more importantly, make solar energy more affordable and accessible than ever before while righting many wrongs of the past.”

“The NJBPU thanks the Biden Administration and Gov. Murphy for their continued leadership and investment in affordable and accessible clean energy for all,” said NJBPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy. “From our highly successful Competitive Solar Incentive Program to our nation-leading Community Solar Energy Program, the NJBPU is supporting the development of projects that produce significant environmental benefits and savings for New Jersey ratepayers.”

“This Earth Week, and every week, the Murphy administration is hard at work moving New Jersey toward an affordable clean energy future that improves the air quality for our children while combatting our worsening climate crisis,” said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette. “This and future generations will benefit form the changemaking work to expand equitable access to renewable solar energy that President Christine Guhl-Sadovy and her team at the Board of Public Utilities are advancing here in Berkeley Township and all across the Garden State.”

Powering up

The announcements came at the site of CS Energy’s new Eagle Solar I and II community solar projects in Berkeley Township, Ocean County. Both are nearing completion.

The first phase involved closing and capping a 40-acre landfill after nearly 40 years – at no cost to the township. That paved the way for construction on one of the two largest community solar projects in New Jersey.

The 10-MW projects are slated to power 1,600 homes across the region. Meanwhile, providing a 20% discount to all subscribers and 51% for low- and moderate-income customers. They also expect to produce annual household savings of more than $200 and just under $7 million over the 20-year lifetime of the project for all 1,600 homes.

Setting a new standard

CS Energy Chief Commercial Officer Eric Millard said the projects set a new standard for sustainable development and public-private partnership. He noted the collaboration between the different stakeholders.

“Using the development of community solar, which delivers discounted electricity to working families, we were able to remediate a landfill that was untouched for more than 40 years,” said Millard. “With Gov. Murphy’s continued leadership, we look forward to replicating this successful model throughout New Jersey.”

“This project achieves many goals in Berkeley Township, which include the final capping of our long-closed landfill, providing green energy to our residents at a discounted rate, and improving the environment by reducing our carbon footprint,” said Berkeley Township Mayor John Bacchione. “I would like to thank New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities, Department of Environmental Protection, and Pinelands Commission, as well as Eagle Solar I and II for the opportunity to move forward with this clean energy project.”

Job creation

A number of labor organizations were on hand for the event.

“Local 400 and its members would like to thank Luminace, CS Energy, and Scholes Electric for providing work opportunities for the men and women of Monmouth and Ocean counties,” said Robert Shimko, IBEW Local 400 business manager. “I would especially like to thank Gov. Murphy for his leadership and vision for a greener NJ. Eagle I and II Solar fields will allow NJ to get closer to the 100% clean energy goal by 2035.”

“For the 20,000 Laborers who work in and call New Jersey home, the investment in renewable energy infrastructure is not only good for the environment and the state as a whole, it is also good for all of those individual families who benefit from the good-paying jobs being created,” said Michael Hellstrom, vice president and Eastern Regional manager, Laborers International Union of NA (LIUNA).

“We are proud to support transformative energy projects like Eagle Solar I and II,” said Greg Lalevee, business manager of IUOE Local 825 and IUOE general vice president. “Also, by focusing on innovative solutions such as grid modernization and community solar programs, New Jersey is not just investing in infrastructure but is also laying the foundation for generations of good-paying, union jobs.”

“We are grateful for Gov. Murphy’s visionary approach – and excited to be a part of these projects that promise a brighter future for our members and all New Jersey residents,” Lalevee added.