The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has approved rules for and launched the Dual-Use Agrivoltaics Pilot Program, which is slated to incorporate solar panels on designated farmland.
“The board’s action today marks a major milestone and further solidifies New Jersey as a national leader in solar development,” says Christine Guhl-Sadovy, NJBPU president.
“Dual-use agrivoltaics will ensure responsible solar development on farmland and help us provide affordable solar alternatives to more New Jersey residents.”
Over the last year, the NJBPU held a stakeholder process to develop the Dual-Use Pilot in collaboration with the state Departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection and Rutgers University.
The pilot is slated to facilitate the installation and operation of 200 MW of solar over three years, while generating research results needed to inform a permanent program for these types of projects through the board’s grant agreement with the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program (RAP) to facilitate and implement the Dual-Use Pilot.
A major part of evaluating potential projects includes RAP providing expertise for setting research requirements, construction best practices, project monitoring and evaluation. Under the Board’s approval to launch the pilot program, staff will issue a Notice of Incentive Availability in January next year, inviting interested parties to submit expressions of interest for pre-qualification into the pilot.
