As noted in our recent article, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has unveiled a new solar incentive program for the state. The Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) Program will launch in place of the Transition Incentive (TI) Program which has been acting as a placeholder in NJ since the closure of the New Jersey Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) Program.
New Jersey SuSI Program Market Segments
Market segments covered by the SuSI Program include:
- Net Metered Residential
- Small Net Metered Non-Residential on Rooftop, Carport, Canopy and Floating Solar
- Large Net Metered Non-Residential on Rooftop, Carport, Canopy and Floating Solar
- Small Ground Mount Net Metered - Non-Residential
- Large Ground Mount Net Metered - Non-Residential
- Community Solar Non-LMI
- Community Solar LMI
- Interim Subsection (t)
As you can see, the SuSI Program will provide incentive opportunities for residential, commercial, industrial, and community solar, as well as projects developed on landfills and brownfields throughout the state of New Jersey. Furthermore, these incentives will see an easier path to solar deployment for public entities like schools, colleges, universities, county authorities, and municipalities across the state.
In an upcoming article, we will further explore the long-term, tailored incentives available for NJ solar projects under the SuSI Program, breaking down the different market segments and the incentive values available for each segment.
Launching The Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) Program
Following the announcement of this new NJ solar incentive program, the NJBPU has established a pathway from the TI Program to the new SuSI Program. The following steps in the closure of the TI Program and the opening of the SuSI Program were noted by the Board on July 28, 2021.
- The TI portal closes to all new applications on Friday, August 27, 2021 at 11:59:59 p.m. EST. However, there are 2 exceptions, as noted below:
- Firstly, the TI portal remains open past August 27, 2021, for new applications from Year 2 community solar projects which are currently pending final NJBPU selection.
- Secondly, new applications from Subsection (t) projects can apply for conditional certification until August 27, 2021, at 11:59:59 p.m. EST. As well as submitting the application by this time, these Subsection (t) projects must fulfill all other necessary requirements of certification for TREC eligibility pursuant to Subsection (t). If conditional certification is granted, these projects will be eligible to register for the TI Program even if the Board grants conditional certification after August 27, 2021.
- The Administratively Determined Incentive (ADI) Program, one of the SuSI’s two sub-programs, will open its registration portal for new applications on Saturday, August 28, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. EST.
Further information about the pathway from the Transition Incentive Program to the Solar Successor Incentive Program can be found here on the website for the New Jersey Clean Energy Program.
Which Projects Will Remain in the Transition Incentive (TI) Program?
A number of projects, as detailed below, will remain part of the Transition Incentive Program.
- Those projects which have been issued a TI acceptance letter and have not yet reached their expiration date.
- Those TI applications that are listed under the status ‘Application Received’ on/before August 27, 2021, at 11:59:59 p.m. EST will remain part of the TI Program based on the criteria below:
- TI Application Packets deemed complete, with all TI requirements fulfilled, will be issued an acceptance letter and, as such, will be able to participate in the TI Program.
- TI Application Packets deemed incomplete as result of major deficiencies will be rejected and will not have the opportunity to participate in the TI Program. Instead, these projects will be able to submit a new registration for the Administratively Determined Incentive (ADI) Program.
- TI Application Packets which are deemed incomplete as a result of a minor deficiency will be afforded the opportunity to address these deficiencies. These projects will have seven (7) business days to address the deficiencies and complete registration in the TI portal. Should the project fail to address its deficiencies and complete the registration packet within the seven day timeframe, the application will be rejected. In this scenario, the project would then have the opportunity to submit a new registration for the ADI Program.
- Please note that any projects listed under any of the following statuses will not be eligible to receive an incentive under the TI Program:
- ‘Cancelled’
- ‘Expired’
- ‘Application incomplete-major (rejected)’
- ‘Application incomplete-final (rejected)’
- ‘Void’
TI Projects under the Status ‘Eligible for TI’
Those applications which were transferred from the SRP to the TI Program after the closure of the SRP in April 2020 are under the status ‘Eligible for TI’. Projects under this status must enter the TI portal and select the appropriate project type in order to complete the transfer to the TI Program. Should an application under the status ‘Eligible for TI’ fail to select its project type by August 27, 2021, at 11:59:59 p.m. EST, it will be terminated. If applicable, those projects which missed this deadline may be able to register for the ADI Program.
If you’re interested in pursuing a New Jersey solar project then reach out to YSG today. YSG has been operating in the solar industry for over ten years, developing new projects in the residential, commercial, and community solar markets. Call now at 212.389.9215 or send us an email to learn more about NJ solar and how much you could save by making the switch.
YSG Solar is a project development company responsible for commoditizing energy infrastructure projects. We work with long-term owners and operators to provide clean energy assets with stable, predictable cash flows. YSG's market focus is distributed generation and utility-scale projects located within North America.
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