New Jersey launches scheme to add at least 300 MW of large solar a year

Solar panels. Author: Oregon Department of Transportation. License: Creative Commons. Attribution 2.0 Generic

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has created a new programme aimed at supporting at least 300 MW of large-scale solar projects a year until 2026.

The new Competitive Solar Incentive (CSI) programme will encourage grid supply projects, as well as net-metered, non-residential installations of above 5 MW.

Projects will compete in five tranches, so that a range of project types are covered. The board provided initial annual procurement targets as follows:

Tranche	Open to	Procurement target (MW)
Tranche 1	Basic grid supply	140 MW
Tranche 2	Grid supply on the built environment	80 MW
Tranche 3	Grid supply on contaminated sites and landfills	40 MW
Tranche 4	Net metered non-residential installations larger than 5 MW	40 MW
Tranche 5	Storage paired with grid supply solar	160 MWh

The state will run annual solicitations, with the first planned for early 2023 and bids due on March 31, 2023. Projects that fulfill pre-qualification requirements will compete on price only and will have three years to go live after securing an award.

The CSI programme is part of the state’s Successor Solar Incentive initiative (SuSI), which was established in 2021 and also includes the Administratively Determined Incentive (ADI) programme, which provides incentives for net-metered residential projects, net-metered non-residential projects of up to 5 MW and community solar projects.

The new initiative supports the state’s ambition for 100% clean energy by 2050.

The announcement comes a day after NJBPU revealed a draft guidance document for the state’s third offshore wind solicitation, which sets a target range for the tender of between 1.2 GW and 4 GW.

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