New Jersey Rapidly Expands Community Solar Support
Brightcore Energy (Brightcore), a developer and implementer of renewable energy solutions for the commercial and institutional markets, announced it has been awarded every community solar project that it submitted to New Jersey’s Community Solar Energy Program (CSEP). The CSEP, voted in by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) in August 2023 and signed by Governor Phil Murphy in January 2024, brings more sustainable energy sources to New Jersey and helps to eliminate barriers to local communities’ access to affordable, equitable, and clean energy. According to Brightcore, New Jersey faces new and rapidly growing demand for community solar following the success of the two pilot programs in 2018 and 2020. In November 2023, the permanent program was launched with a capacity block of 225 MW, attracting more than 300 applications, representing a total of more than 300 MW.
Brightcore has been awarded all 29 projects it submitted to date, 19 in the state’s Year 2 pilot program, and another 10 in its permanent program. The first 19 projects, totaling more than 7.4 MW, have been successfully completed and are now generating solar energy to power local schools, businesses, hospitals, and government buildings. The other 10 projects in the pipeline will bring another 6.4 MW to the grid infrastructure, serving two different New Jersey utilities. The energy generated will be offered to low- and moderate-income residents within the respective utility’s service territory at a discount, ensuring equitable access to reliable and low-cost electricity.
The CSEP program provides cleaner, less costly energy for utility customers by enabling businesses and municipalities that host a community solar project to reduce their own carbon footprint and energy costs, as well as monetize portions of their property that are not traditionally a revenue stream by way of regular, steady lease payments from the project owner.
Once operational, the projects awarded to Brightcore will produce more than 19,000 MWh of electricity annually, which is enough electricity to power more than 2600 homes for one year and the equivalent carbon dioxide emissions reduction of burning nearly 15 million pounds (6.8 kg) of coal.
