This bill amends existing legislation to allow dual-use or agrivoltaics solar facilities to participate in New Jersey's community solar program. The new legal language defines dual-use solar facilities as those that generate electricity from solar panels located on unpreserved farmland while simultaneously allowing for agricultural or horticultural production beneath and adjacent to the panels. The bill also states that these dual-use facilities will be eligible for participation in the community solar energy program and will be admitted into the community solar market segment of the small solar facilities incentive program upon registration.

Currently, the Board of Public Utilities restricts qualified solar energy projects to specific locations, such as rooftops, contaminated sites, and landfills. The dual-use program was established to promote solar energy development compatible with agricultural production, but these facilities have only been able to access incentives through the Successor Solar Initiative (SuSI) program. By permitting dual-use facilities to benefit from the community solar program, the bill aims to expand the incentives available to these projects, allowing customers to earn credits on their utility bills based on the electricity generated by their participation in the solar energy projects.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 48:3-87.11