After a three-year lull, New Jersey energy regulators are reporting that their state has reached two gigawatts of solar capacity. Over the last year, New Jersey’s Board of Utilities reports that over 353 megawatts of solar energy have been installed over the course of 2016. This number nearly doubles the number of megawatts installed in from the prior year. In fact, this is the largest amount of solar installations in New Jersey since 2012.
Behind California, North Carolina, and Arizona, New Jersey has the fourth largest solar installations, with ¾ of their capacity behind the meter. Behind the Meter (BTM) is a solar energy system that generates power to be used on-site or goes to the utility grid to be used. The state currently has a reported 66,000 solar system installed within its borders, and of those 66,000 only 152 of them are not connected to the distribution grid.
Why Install Solar?
If you’ve seen many of your neighbors installing solar energy panels on their homes, you might be wondering why. Below is a list of benefits of installing solar energy in your home.
- Save money – installing solar helps you save money on your energy bills by replacing the energy you purchase from the electricity company with clean, low-cost solar energy.
- Environmentally friendly – Not only is solar energy practically free, but it's also incredibly clean. This means there are no greenhouse gasses, no emissions and no waste or pollution caused by collecting this energy.
- Cut ties with electric company – Using the energy collected from your own private solar energy collection system allows you to break free from the costly pay structure of the electric company.
- Job growth – As the demand for solar energy increases, the need for skilled solar technicians also increases. Purchase solar energy contributes to the creation of thousands of jobs.
For more information regarding solar energy incentives, check out our New Jersey solar power incentives page for the most up-to-date information.