Posts Tagged ‘NJ’

New Jersey Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) Program – Webinar

Posted October 7th, 2021 by SRECTrade.

Earlier today, SRECTrade hosted a webinar for New Jersey Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) Program stakeholders. The webinar reviewed many important facets of the SuSI Program including pricing, the registration process, and market parameters as well as SRECTrade’s participation as a REC management and transaction service provider.

For access to the presentation slides, please click HERE. To view a recording of the webinar, please click the image below.

New Jersey Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) Program Webinar

Posted October 1st, 2021 by SRECTrade.

SRECTrade is presenting a webinar on the New Jersey Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) Program on Thursday, October 7th at 2:00 PM EST. The webinar will review many important facets of the SuSI Program including pricing, the registration process, and market parameters as well as SRECTrade’s participation as a REC management and transaction service provider.

To register for the webinar, please click HERE.

Please note that a webinar recording will be made available on the SRECTrade Blog after the webinar.

New Jersey Successor Solar Incentive Program Approved

Posted July 30th, 2021 by SRECTrade.

On Wednesday, July 28th, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) unanimously approved the highly anticipated Successor Solar Incentive Program (“SuSI Program”). The SuSI Program will support the development of 3,750 megawatts (MW) of new solar generation by 2026, effectively doubling the state’s current solar capacity and driving solar to become approximately 10 percent of the state’s total electricity supply.

Importantly, the SuSI Program will take effect on August 28, 2021, and contains two sub-programs detailed below. Thus, the New Jersey Transition Incentive (TI) Program will close at midnight on Friday, August 27th. TREC applications will be accepted until that date and will be provided with a 5-business day window to correct minor deficiencies, if required, after their review.

  1. The Administratively Determined Incentive (ADI) – a 15-year, fixed-price incentive payment for net-metered solar projects less than or equal to 5 MW in size. This sub-program is inclusive of all residential projects and most commercial and industrial projects, with pricing varying based on project type and size (see table below).
  2. The Competitive Solar Incentive (CSI) – a competitive solicitation for grid supply projects and net metered commercial and industrial projects larger than 5 MW. The first competitive solicitation is projected to launch in early-to-mid 2022.
Incentive levels for the ADI Program, ranging from $70-$120 per SREC-II.

Notably, net-metered residential projects will receive pricing only $1.20/megawatt-hour (MWh) less than their current effective TREC pricing of $91.20/MWh. The incentive value for public entities in each market segment is $20/MWh than their non-public counterparts. Public entities include school districts, municipalities, and public colleges and universities.

SRECTrade will continue to post significant updates on the transition between the current Transition Incentive program and the upcoming SuSI Program as they become available.

New Jersey TREC Program Webinar

Posted September 23rd, 2020 by SRECTrade.


SRECTrade, Inc. is hosting a webinar to review the New Jersey Transition Incentive (TI) Program and SRECTrade onboarding process on Thursday, October 1st, at 2:00pm ET. The new program features fixed-price, factorized Transition Renewable Energy Credits (TRECs). SRECTrade is currently accepting NJ TREC facility applications, which can be submitted from your account on the SRECTrade online platform.

To register for the webinar, please click HERE.

Please note that a webinar recording will be made available on the SRECTrade Blog after the webinar.

New Jersey SREC Program Expected To Close In Late April

Posted April 2nd, 2020 by SRECTrade.

April 6, 2020 EDIT: The BPU ordered the following earlier today:

  • The registration portal for new projects to the SREC Registration Program will be closed on April 30, 2020.
  • Only previously approved Subsection (t.) projects dated prior to October 29, 2019 will be exempt from the market closure on April 30th.
  • Projects must have a PTO granted from an electric distribution company by April 30, 2020 to qualify for inclusion in the legacy SREC program. The post-construction (as built) certification package will be due 90 days after the PTO date (not 90 days after April 30th).
  • The registration portal will be closed on the 91st day after April 30th (July 30th).
  • All extensions granted by Board staff (either 1st or 2nd extensions) will expire on April 30th. Post-construction (as built) certification package due 90 days after April 30th.

On Tuesday, March 31st, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) announced that it forecasts that 5.1% of state electricity sales will be supplied by operational solar projects around or before May 2020. It is therefore expected that the current SREC program (“Legacy Program”) could close to new applications as soon as April 30th.

In order to qualify for the current SREC Program, solar projects 1) need to obtain a Permission to Operate (PTO) by the SREC program closure date (estimated April 30th) and 2) submit their final-as-built application within 90 days from receiving PTO.

Solar systems that receive PTO after the SREC market closure date will be eligible for the new Transition Incentive program (“TREC Program”). Many details regarding the 15-year, fixed-price TREC Program structure have been finalized, including a flat pricing schedule of $152.00 per SREC. However, many important details surrounding the implementation and administration of the TREC Program Administrator have not been finalized yet. As a result, it is expected that TREC approvals and payments will not be made for several months after the program opens.

SRECTrade will continue to monitor the Legacy Program’s closure and the development of both the TREC Program and the eventual Successor Incentive program.

New Jersey Governor Murphy Signs SB S-4275, Resolving Transition Incentive “Kink Year” Issue

Posted January 22nd, 2020 by SRECTrade.

On Tuesday, January 21st, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Assembly Bill 6088 (AB-6088) / Senate Bill 4275 (SB-4275) into law in a victory for New Jersey “Transition Incentive” program stakeholders. A New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) order last month established that the Transition Incentive program’s structure will feature a factorized, fixed-price, 15-year Transition Renewable Energy Certificate (TREC), but did not finalize the pricing schedule that will be used throughout the program.

SB-4275 helps address a “kink year” component in one of the pricing schedule options by allowing the BPU to increase costs to electricity customers in energy years (EY) 2022-2024, such that the average cost to electricity customers from EY2019-2024 does not exceed a 9% cost cap during EY2019-2021 and a 7% cost cap for EY2022-2024. This cost cap flexibility allows the BPU to set higher TREC prices in the near term while still remaining below the legislated cost cap. Prior to this legislation adding flexibility, the BPU had proposed drastically lower TREC pricing during the first three “kink years” of the program, followed by higher pricing in later years.

For example, the two pricing schedules that the BPU had considered are: 1) a flat 15-year price of $152 and 2) a lower price of $65 for the first three years followed by a higher price of $189 for the last twelve years. The BPU still has not finalized some key aspects of the TREC program, including the final price levels. SRECTrade will continue to monitor the development of the Transition Incentive program and provide updates.

New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Approves Solar Transition Incentive Program

Posted December 18th, 2019 by SRECTrade.

On Friday, December 6th, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) issued an order approving a new SREC program to aid in the transition from the current SREC program to the yet-to-be-determined “Successor Incentive” program. This “Transition Incentive” program will feature a factorized, fixed-price, 15-year Transition Renewable Energy Certificate (TREC). All projects that submitted complete SREC Registration Program (SRP) applications after October 29, 2018, but do not reach commercial operation at the time the BPU determines the 5.1% target has been reached, will qualify for TRECs.

The BPU will hold a cost-cap proceeding in early 2020 to finalize the annual value of the fixed-price TREC. Specifically, the BPU will evaluate two pricing scenarios: 1) a flat 15-year price of $152 and 2) a lower price of $65 for the first three years followed by a higher price of $189 for the last twelve years.

The different TREC project types and factorizations are displayed below:

TRECs will have a useful life of two energy years, including the energy year in which they were generated. If a TREC is not issued or sold during its two-year useful life, it will become an NJ Class I REC. The order further clarifies that Transition Incentive projects will be eligible to generate NJ Class I RECs after their 15-year TREC Qualification Life.

The BPU order also directs electric distribution companies to procure a TREC Administrator. Although the exact mechanics for how TRECs will be transacted are still being determined, the TREC Administrator will ultimately purchase all generated TRECs and allocate them to load-serving entities for compliance based on their market share of retail sales.

SRECTrade will continue to monitor the development of the final TREC levels and the Successor Incentive program.

NJ BPU Issues Order Effecting 10-Year SREC Eligibility

Posted October 29th, 2018 by SRECTrade.

Earlier today, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) issued an order to clarify that all SREC applications submitted after October 29, 2018 will only receive 10 years of SREC eligibility.

This order means that all New Jersey Office of Clean Energy SREC Registration Program (SRP) applications submitted after 11:59pm ET today will be subject to 10 years of SREC eligibility instead of 15 years.

Please also note that applications received by the BPU for conditional certification pursuant to Subsection T prior to today’s deadline that fulfill all conditions established by the BPU shall receive 15-year SREC eligibility.

Since the May 23rd passage of Assembly Bill 3723 (AB-3723) and Senate Bill 2314 (SB-2314) to increase the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirements, there had been some confusion regarding when the effective date took place for the new 10-year eligibility period. Today’s NJ BPU order clarifies that confusion.

NJ Gov. Murphy Signs AB-3723 / SB-2314 Increasing State RPS

Posted May 25th, 2018 by SRECTrade.

On Wednesday, May 23rd, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (Dem) signed Assembly Bill 3723 (AB-3723) and Senate Bill 2314 (SB-2314), increasing the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirements. The bill establishes renewable energy goals of 21 percent by 2020, 35 percent by 2025, and 50 percent by 2030, making the New Jersey RPS one of the highest in the nation.

Notably, the state’s solar carve-out requirement is raised and accelerated to 5.1 percent of total electricity sales by EY2021 before beginning to ramp-down in 2024. The requirement ramps down in consideration of solar facilities that will be reaching the end of their 15-year SREC production eligibility term.

On the other hand, the bill lowers the solar alternative compliance payment (SACP) schedule to $268.00 in EY2019 with an additional $10.00 reduction each following year.

The bill also shortens the 15-year period that qualified solar projects can generate solar renewable energy credits (SREC) to ten years, effective for all New Jersey SREC Registration Program applications received as of the enactment date. Lastly, the bill mandates that the current SREC program be closed upon reaching the 5.1 percent target and no later than June 1, 2021. It is anticipated that a supplemental “SREC-II” program will follow shortly after the closure of the first program.

The bill also introduces other clean energy initiatives, including:

  • Community Solar: establishes the Community Solar Energy Pilot Program to allow utility customers access to solar projects that are located away from their properties, but within their utility’s service territory. The pilot program is planned to be converted to a permanent community solar program within 36 months.
  • Energy Efficiency: requires individual utilities to implement energy efficiency measures to reduce electricity usage by 2 percent and natural gas usage by 0.75 percent.
  • Energy Storage: mandates Gov. Murphy’s goal of achieving 600 MW of energy storage by 2021 and 2,000 MW by 2030.
  • Offshore Wind: establishes a goal of 3,500 MW of offshore wind by 2030 that will be supported by an offshore wind renewable energy credit (OREC) program.

Simultaneously, Gov. Murphy signed Executive Order No. 28, requiring state agencies to update the Energy Master Plan (EMP) that prepares a strategy for achieving 100 percent clean energy by January 1, 2050. The new EMP is scheduled to be finalized and published by June 1, 2019.

For more information on the bill and its passage through the New Jersey legislature, please visit our previous blog post on the topic here. SRECTrade expects to publish a detailed New Jersey supply and demand analysis reflecting this new legislation soon.

NJ Solar RPS Increase – New Jersey Assembly and Senate Pass AB-3723 / SB-2314

Posted April 13th, 2018 by SRECTrade.

On Thursday, April 12th, the New Jersey Assembly and Senate passed Assembly Bill 3723 (AB-3723) and Senate Bill 2314 (SB-2314). The bill now sits on the desk of Governor Phil Murphy (Dem) waiting to be signed, after passing the Assembly by a margin of 49-20-2 and the Senate by a margin of 29-8. The bill requires a number of action items to be carried out, including:

  • Requiring the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to:
    • Administer an energy storage analysis
    • Advance, increase, and extend the solar carve-out schedule and reduce and extend the solar alternative compliance payment schedule
    • Introduce structural changes to the state SREC program
    • Implement energy efficiency and peak demand reduction programs
    • Implement a “Community Solar Energy Pilot Program”
    • Offer tax credits for specified offshore wind facilities
  • Requiring the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to establish job training programs for professionals in manufacturing and maintenance of offshore wind facilities

The bill requires 21% of statewide electricity sales to be derived from Class I renewable energy sources by January 1, 2020, 35% by January 1, 2025, and 50% by January 1, 2030. The cost of this requirement shall not exceed 9% of the electricity purchased by all NJ ratepayers for each energy year 2019-2021 and shall not exceed 7% in each energy year thereafter. In addition, all facilities filing SREC applications after the bill’s enactment date will be subject to a reduced SREC eligibility term of 10 years, down from 15.

No later than 180 days after the enactment of the bill, the board will implement rules to close the SREC program to new systems upon reaching the 5.1% solar carve-out target. The legislation intends to close the existing SREC program to new projects on or before June 1, 2021. Within 24 months from signing the legislation, the Board of Public Utilities will be required to conduct a study that evaluates how to modify or implement a new solar incentive program. A variety of market stakeholders will be consulted in the process to determine the next best steps forward for the NJ SREC market.

As shown below, the bill brings forward and raises the state’s solar carve-out requirements beginning with EY2019 and extends the requirements through EY2033. The requirement peaks at 5.10% in EY2021-2023 before gradually declining through EY2033. The reduction mechanic was introduced to account for solar facilities that will be reaching the end of their SREC production eligibility term.

The bill also reduces the solar alternative compliance payment (SACP) beginning with EY2019 and extends the SACP schedule through EY2033. The SACP level drops to $268 in EY2019 and then gradually decreases by $10 each year following.

For more information on the historical progress of the bill, please view our previous blog post on the topic here. SRECTrade will be publishing an updated New Jersey Supply and Demand Analysis to its blog shortly in consideration of this bill.