Archives

PUR Guide 2012 Fully Updated Version

Available NOW!

This comprehensive self-study certification course is designed to teach the novice or pro everything they need to understand and succeed in every phase of the public utilities business.

Order Now

New Jersey Solar Market Review

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has directed its staff to open a proceeding to assess the state of the solar industry in New Jersey.

Among the topics that may be considered in the forthcoming inquiry are the cost differential between residential and utility-scale solar projects and the potential for designing different incentives for grid projects versus those for residential and business customers, so as to minimize or eliminate the impact of grid projects on the residential and commercial solar marketplace. The board further instructed its staff to scrutinize the entire suite of solar incentive policies for cost-effectiveness, equity, and efficiency. Board staff likewise was charged with evaluating

(1) the rate impacts of solar on residential and business customers;

(2) the environmental benefits provided by solar power in terms of reducing the need for generation from traditional sources of electricity;

(3) the effects that ground-mounted grid supply and large net-metered installations can have on local ecosystem benefits of open space; and

(4) land use implications.

In ordering the review, the board pointed to significant and rapidly evolving changes in solar technology and installation practices, and it noted that the economics and financial models of the solar industry continue to evolve as well.

It said that in the 18 years since passage of the state's Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act of 1999, the state's solar photovoltaic sector has grown from a small market focused on research, development, and demonstration to a multimillion- dollar industry with thriving, diverse businesses supplying services in a variety of different competitive market segments.

The board added that as the total installed cost of all types of installations has fallen, the levelized cost of solar electricity generation has dropped in tandem.