TRENTON – The Senate Environment and Energy Committee advanced legislation sponsored by its Chair, Senator Bob Smith, that would increase development goals for new residential, commercial, industrial, and grid-scale solar power generation as well as extend the Solar Renewable Energy Certificate II Program (SREC-II) to 2035.

“Solar accounts for 87 percent of our state’s renewable energy generation and seven percent of our total in-state electricity generation,” said Senator Smith (D-Middlesex/Somerset). “Further expanding our solar development goals, as well as our programs supporting that development, is key to growing our energy generation capacity and ensuring the future of clean and affordable energy New Jerseyans deserve.”

The bill, S-4869, would extend to 2035 the date by which the SREC-II program is to meet a goal of development of at least 750 megawatts (MW) of new solar power generation per year. Under current law, the program’s goal is to incentivize the development of 3,750 MW of solar generation by 2026, and though the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is authorized to extend the program, they are not currently required to do so.

The legislation would additionally expand the goal of the small solar facilities incentive program to provide SREC-IIs for the development of at least 300 MW per year of net-metered solar facilities of 5 MW or less. The goal for community solar facilities of 5 MW or less would also be set to 3,000 MW between October 1, 2025 and December 31, 2029 and at least 150 MW every year thereafter. The bill would take effect immediately upon enactment.