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Rutgers Will Research New Jersey Energy Storage Path

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

With just six days left until SolarWakeup Live! New Jersey, the topics are set – but attendees might be forgiven if they have a few off-topic questions that they might decide need to be addressed.

Take, for example, the announcement by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities that Rutgers University will be studying the state’s energy-storage needs as the regulatory board prepares to shepherd through Governor Phil Murphy’s aggressive plans to have 2 GW of energy storage by 2030.

The contract with Rutgers, announced yesterday and covered by the Press of Atlantic City, will last six months and cost $300,000.

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“The ability to store energy is critical for our future,” NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso told The Press. “Energy storage systems will provide emergency back-up power for essential services, offsetting peak loads, and stabilizing the electric distribution system, which ultimately will benefit the ratepayer.”

Under the contract, Rutgers will study whether renewable energy storage will promote EV use in the state and what effect it will have on renewable energy production in the state, as well as doing a full cost/benefit analysis of the expansion of storage options.

Governor Murphy made expanding renewable energy in the state – and solar in particular – a centerpiece of his campaign. Earlier this year, he signed two bills into law that, combined, established the state’s community solar program (later bolstered with provisions to encourage the development of community solar in low-income neighborhoods), reformed the state’s important (but flawed) solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program and established a new renewable portfolio standard of 50% by 2030.

Murphy succeeded former Governor Chris Christie, who had vetoed the RPS expansion on his way out the door and had created a difficult market for the solar industry under his leadership. During his tenure, the state dropped from being the No. 2 solar state in the country to much lower in the Top 10. Murphy hopes to return New Jersey to its place of prominence within the solar community.

While New Jersey has fallen, other New England states like New York and Massachusetts have grabbed the majority of the headlines – but with its strong renewable energy and storage provisions, New Jersey

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N.J. regulator contracts with Rutgers for energy storage analysis

Will There Be A New Jersey Solar Industry For Us To Discuss? (Yes.)

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

As SolarWakeup Live! heads to Jersey City, New Jersey, in about three weeks, I was startled to run across a story at the website NJSpotlight with the following headline:

COLLAPSE OF NJ SOLAR INDUSTRY, BIG LAYOFFS IF NO INTERIM STATE PLAN — WARNING

Because I understand clickbait when I see it, I did not immediately pull out my phone and call SolarWakeup Managing Editor Yann Brandt and tell him to abort his trip out East. Instead, I clicked on the link to figure out exactly what writer Tom Johnson was talking about.

It turns out that it’s not nearly as scary as he made it sound – at least if New Jersey legislators get their acts together and do something about the transition period between the old solar compensation structure and the new one signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy earlier this year.

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Based on the people told the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities at a public meeting yesterday, of course, the headline might be accurate. But the truth is the legislature has six months to figure this out, so the use of the word “imminent” might be a little much.

Still, according to NJ Spotlight writer Tom Johnson, the solar industry painted a pretty grim picture. To wit:

Unless there is a seamless transition, the industry could shut down, solar executives told state regulatory officials at a stakeholder meeting in Newark yesterday. If that happens, it could cause massive layoffs in a sector that now employs more than 7,000 and has invested in excess of $10 billion in New Jersey.

The collapse also could leave many solar projects — including those undertaken by school systems, municipalities, hospitals and others — as money-losing ventures. Loans and bonds used to finance them would be difficult to repay as revenues from the solar systems would fall short.

If I were on the Board of Public Utilities, that kind of testimony would leave me terrified. But don’t worry – we’ll sort it all out at SolarWakeup Live! on November 6 in Jersey City. You have Yann Brandt’s word on it.

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COLLAPSE OF NJ SOLAR INDUSTRY, BIG LAYOFFS IF NO INTERIM STATE PLAN — WARNING

London And New York Mayors Say Cities Must Divest From Fossil Fuels In Guardian Op-Ed

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Over the weekend, two of the world’s most influential mayors – Bill de Blasio (mayor of New York City) and Sadiq Khan (mayor of London) – took to the pages of the British newspaper The Guardian to urge cities around the world to divest from companies that extract fossil fuels.

The op-ed came ahead of the Global Climate Action Summit, a gathering of world leaders designed to discuss issues surrounding climate change and other environmental issues. The summit starts on Wednesday in San Francisco.

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The mayors wrote:

We believe that ending institutional investment in companies that extract fossil fuels and contribute directly to climate change can help send a very powerful message that renewables and low-carbon options are the future. If we want to fund the scale of transformation the world needs, we must foster sustainable investment and use the power of institutional investors, such as pension funds.

According to the article, less than 2% of London’s pension fund – which totals $7.1 billion – is invested in fossil-fuel generating companies, with more divesting coming this year (including eliminating investments in oil companies Shell and BP). New York has just begun its own divestment and expects to be completely divested within five years, the article reports.

Instead, New York touts the fact it has increased its use of solar energy six-fold since 2013 and which is the result in part from a push from the state’s governor Andrew Cuomo as well as de Blasio’s own progressive policies on the subject.

Both mayors acknowledge that divestment is not necessarily a straight path, and that there will be twists and turns along the way. But in urging their fellow mayors to divest, they say they are setting an example for country governments to follow:

We believe we can demonstrate to the world that divestment is a powerful tool and a prudent use of resources. And that, together, our cities – New York, London and many others around the world – can send a clear message to the fossil fuel industry: change your ways now and join us in tackling climate change.

I’d like to applaud de Blasio and Khan for their forward-thinking ways and their attempts at moral suasion through the press. Here’s hoping that coming out of the Global Climate Action Summit that even more cities will follow their lead and divest from fossil fuels.

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As New York and London mayors, we call on all cities to divest from fossil fuels

Report: New Jersey Community Solar Program Could Spur $800 Million In Economic Benefits

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Vote Solar released the results of its analysis of New Jersey’s planned 450 MW community solar program, in which it found the program could spur as much as $800 million in economic development.

Specifically, the report says the community solar program will create:

1,778 sustained full-time jobs during construction and an additional 41 sustained full time jobs associated with operations and maintenance.
$414.7 million in earnings for those employed.
$797.9 million in local economic benefits for the state, excepting local tax revenues.
$3.3 million from property tax revenues in the first year alone.

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“Community solar holds a promise to expand access to affordable energy while creating jobs and growing New Jersey’s clean power sector,” said Pari Kasotia, Mid-Atlantic Director for Vote Solar. “These tangible economic benefits are an important part of the Garden State’s leadership and success in building a modern, 21st-century clean energy system that equitably serves everyone. We are glad to see New Jersey implement policies that align environmental goals with economic goals.”

The report was prepared by Vote Solar, a nonprofit organization working to lower solar costs and expand solar access across the U.S. They used the Jobs and Economic Impact (JEDI) Model developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to reasonably estimate the employment, earnings and economic impacts from the construction and operation of the solar energy facilities that could be expected if New Jersey adopts the minimum target of 450 MW over a three-year period. 450MW has been recommended by many stakeholders as the minimum program size necessary to drive investment in the state’s clean energy sector, achieve economies of scale, ensure all New Jersey’s communities gain access to community solar, and meaningfully contribute to the state’s 2030 clean electricity requirements.

The new community solar program, recently passed into law by the New Jersey legislature and signed by Governor Phil Murphy, is one of numerous attempts to get the state back on track after several years of languishing solar development in the Garden State. Murphy, who took office in January, campaigned strongly on a platform of clean energy and has made it one of the top priorities of his administration.

It’s nice to see New Jersey returning to prominence, having at one time been the No. 2 solar state in the Top 10 solar state rankings from the Solar Energy Industries Association – behind only California.