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Solar gains in N.J.
For the first time, California no longer reigns as the U.S. state with the largest commercial solar market, and it’s lost that spot to New Jersey, according to a new report on the booming solar industry.
The commercial solar market in New Jersey jumped 170 percent from the first quarter of this year to the second quarter, said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group. As a result, New Jersey’s photovoltaic (PV) installations now account for 24 percent of all those in the U.S. — up from 15 percent at the end of March.
The administration of Gov. Chris Christie termed New Jersey’s statistics as good news.
Overall, California still maintains a lead in power produced from solar, said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, but the Garden State’s progress is notable.
“This is one of those things where I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” Tittel said. (Koch and Schoonejongen, Gannett)