The proposed bill establishes the Office of Clean Energy Equity within the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to enhance equitable access to clean energy, energy efficiency, and energy storage programs specifically for overburdened communities. The office will oversee initiatives designed to provide significant benefits, such as energy cost savings and economic opportunities, with a target of assisting at least 250,000 low-income households by 2030. The BPU is also mandated to ensure the establishment of a minimum of 1,600 megawatt hours of energy storage in these communities by 2030, while allocating at least 10% of its annual clean energy budget, or a minimum of $50 million, to support the Office of Clean Energy Equity.

Additionally, the bill requires the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to create grant programs aimed at developing workforce training in clean energy for at least 2,500 individuals from overburdened communities by 2025. The Department of Community Affairs is tasked with ensuring that all new constructions in these areas are solar-ready and prioritizing clean energy projects involving minority or women-owned businesses. The bill also amends the Community Solar Energy Pilot Program to improve access for low and moderate-income customers and sets a timeline for transitioning the pilot program into a permanent initiative aligned with the solar renewable energy certificate program.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 48:3-87.11