Bill > S4606

Introduced Session

This bill would amend the "SREC-II" program, developed pursuant to P.L.2021, c.169 (C.48:3-114 et al.), to direct the Board of Public Utilities (board) to establish a solar energy incentive program for solar energy projects on roadside right-of-way areas. The bill would include roadside right-of-way solar developments in SREC-II program incentives, such that project owners would qualify for credits. The bill would also specify criteria by which solar photovoltaic developments on roadside right-of-way areas would be considered for the small solar facilities incentive program, which would include the impact of the development on the traffic volume and emissions burden of adjacent road systems. Roadside right-of-way solar energy facilities would be subject to the same qualification criteria as other solar facilities, including but not limited to the size of the facility, the solar project's eligibility for net metering, incentives available to the project, and the rate class of the facility. The 2019 Energy Master Plan ("EMP") found that the State could achieve its 100 percent clean energy and 80 percent greenhouse gas reduction goals with net savings and little added cost when health benefits and climate change mitigation benefits are taken into account, by maximizing the development of in-State renewable energy generation, including 17,000 megawatts of solar energy by 2035 and 32 gigawatts by 2050. Under the least cost path identified by the EMP, solar energy could meet percent of the State's clean energy needs by 2050. The EMP further determined that to embark on this least cost path the State should add at least 400 megawatts of in-State solar energy each year through 2030. In 2021, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order 274 (EO 274), establishing an interim greenhouse gas reduction target of 50 percent by 2030. The Department of Environmental Protection's resultant Global Warming Reduction Act 80x50 report analyzes New Jersey's emissions reductions to date, and presents strategies across seven emissions sectors to ensure that the State achieves an 80 percent emissions reduction by 2050. The modeling performed in developing the 2019 EMP shows that the least cost scenario can meet the 80x50 goal, as well as Governor Murphy's goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050, in part by replacing fossil fuels in the electric generation sector with renewable energy sources. The report indicates that wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies are available at competitive prices, which can reduce electric generation sector emissions and help meet increasing electricity demands across the State.

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Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee (on 06/19/2025)

Official Document