This bill amends New Jersey's electric vehicle (EV) parking requirements to clarify how the number of required EV parking spaces is calculated. It specifies that if a fractional space is needed (e.g., 10.2 spaces), it must be rounded up to the next whole number. However, the rounded-up total cannot reduce the overall parking supply by more than 10 percent. This applies to developers building new multi-unit housing or parking facilities that must comply with existing EV parking mandates under P.L.2021, c.171. The rule ensures rounding up does not significantly limit available parking spaces.
The Power NJ Act establishes a procurement program within the Board of Public Utilities to help New Jersey acquire advanced nuclear energy projects. This legislation aims to address rising electricity costs and grid reliability concerns by promoting the construction of new, carbon-free nuclear facilities. The bill defines advanced nuclear energy projects and outlines the state's interest in supporting these developments for economic growth and energy security. By creating this program, the state seeks to attract new nuclear capacity to replace retired facilities and support local job creation.
This bill allows dual-use solar facilities, such as those on landfills or brownfields, to join New Jersey's community solar program, enabling customers to receive bill credits from remotely located solar projects. It requires the Board of Public Utilities to establish rules for a pilot program that sets project size limits, geographic restrictions, minimum participant numbers, and standards for protecting low and moderate income customers. The legislation also mandates that utilities can recover implementation costs and outlines a path to convert the pilot into a permanent program with specific capacity goals by 2029.
This bill establishes a pilot program allowing solar energy projects on state and local government-owned roadside rights-of-way (land adjacent to roads, 30-100 feet from the road centerline) in New Jersey. Projects must not exceed 10 megawatts individually, with a total program cap of 200 megawatts, and must avoid disrupting traffic, safety, or road maintenance. The Board of Public Utilities, with input from the Transportation Commissioner, will review applications based on criteria like safety monitoring, environmental impact, and project size, requiring permits before construction. The pilot runs for 36 months, with possible two 12-month extensions (max 50 megawatts increase per extension) to evaluate outcomes.
This bill requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and electric utilities to establish a program developing 500 megawatts of distributed battery storage capacity statewide by 2030. It mandates the BPU to set minimum program requirements, including specific storage targets per utility, size standards, and enhanced incentives for projects in overburdened communities and redevelopment areas. Electric utilities must submit implementation plans to the BPU for approval, with annual reporting to ensure compliance and cost savings for ratepayers. The program aims to improve grid stability, reduce interconnection times, and lower system costs by leveraging federal funding and avoiding distribution upgrades.
This bill modifies New Jersey's renewable energy incentive programs to support solar development on specific sites. It allows multiple solar projects to co-locate on the same or adjacent properties (without size limits) for community solar and remote net metering programs, and removes size restrictions for solar projects on landfills, brownfields, contaminated sites, or mining sites. Electric utilities must process interconnection applications for community solar or remote net metering projects on 34.5kV or lower voltage lines. Projects on designated sites must achieve commercial operation within 33 months (automatically extended for utility-caused delays), with the timeline starting from program registration.
This bill exempts small portable solar devices (under 1,200 watts) from standard utility requirements. It directly affects homeowners using these devices, which connect via standard 120V outlets and meet electrical safety standards. Key provisions remove the need for interconnection agreements, net metering program rules, utility approval, or fees. Utilities cannot charge for these devices or require additional equipment beyond what’s built-in. The bill also shields utilities from liability for customer use of these devices.
This bill requires New Jersey's Governor to include a detailed annual report in the budget message about revenues and spending from the "societal benefits charge" on utility bills. The report must show, for each of the past five fiscal years and the current year, how much was collected from electricity and gas customers, and how those funds were spent - specifically for energy efficiency programs, low-income energy assistance, plug-in electric vehicle incentives, and other approved initiatives. It also mandates itemized breakdowns of funds allocated by each utility company. The goal is to increase transparency about how this charge, embedded in customer bills, finances state energy and assistance programs.
This bill requires New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to issue special windshield stickers for qualifying electric vehicles. Owners of eligible EVs would display these stickers to prove exemption from annual emission inspections. The bill defines "electric vehicle" as one powered solely by electricity without hydrocarbon fuel (excluding plug-in hybrids). It directly affects EV owners by eliminating a required inspection for their vehicles under the new sticker system.
This bill (A2127) prohibits electric and gas public utilities in New Jersey from charging residential tenants in multi-unit dwellings (like apartments) a meter-reading fee that exceeds the actual cost of their electricity or gas usage for a billing cycle. It specifically targets fees charged to customers who have opted out of smart meter installation and require manual meter readings. The law sets a clear cap: utilities cannot charge more for manual readings than the customer’s regular utility usage cost. This applies directly to renters in shared housing who choose manual metering, ensuring fees align with actual consumption rather than arbitrary charges.
