Solar industry asks Governor Phil Murphy to sign flexible clean energy spending caps legislation

• The New Jersey General Assembly and Senate passed legislation that clarifies the Board of Public Utilities’ (BPU) authority under the Clean Energy Act. The identical bills authorize the BPU to rollover unused funding to the following year when calculating the cost caps. This measure would ease current constraints found under the program’s year-to-year cost caps.

Following is a statement from David Gahl, senior director of northeast state affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), on changes to the Clean Energy Act:

“SEIA commends the New Jersey Legislature for taking action to clarify the Clean Energy Act and make it easier to implement. These changes will give the BPU more latitude in calculating the Clean Energy Act’s yearly cost caps. The measure does not increase costs to ratepayers, will preserve the state’s growing solar market, and sets the stage for a smooth transition to a lower-cost, long-term solar incentive program. We urge Governor Murphy to sign this measure without delay.”