State Gives Nod to Developers of Nearly 20 Grid-Supply Solar Projects
Hoping to revive a sluggish solar sector, the state last month approved 19 relatively large projects to provide electricity from solar panels to the power grid over the next few years.
The projects, which could end up supplying 140 megawatts of electrical capacity to the grid, are in line with recommendations of bipartisan legislation enacted nearly two years ago to help revive the solar industry in New Jersey.
Unlike many of the solar projects installed in the past, when arrays were deployed on homes and businesses as a way of cutting energy bills, these systems would feed electricity directly into the grid. The bill would have allowed up to 240 megawatts of grid supply projects over the next three years, so the amount approved by the state Board of Public Utilities is far less than legislators envisioned.
Typically, one megawatt of electrical capacity can provide enough power to light up to 800 homes, but that is not true of solar energy because of the intermittent nature of sunshine. Thus, solar arrays typically deliver about 25 percent or more capacity of traditional power plants, depending on the location.
The action by the regulatory agency, however, was welcomed by clean energy advocates, who have witnessed a steep drop in the number of solar installations in New Jersey. At one time, there were more than 40 megawatts of solar capacity being installed each month in the state, but that has fallen into the single digits in recent months. (Johnson/NJSpotlight)
