Editor’s Note: Princeton Associate Professor makes a clear case why Governor Murphy should sign a bill that removes stifling restrictions on home solar systems. The Legislature agrees unanimously. The only question: Why did it take so long?
By Jesse Jenkins, Princeton Energy and Environment
Clean energy is under attack from the Trump administration and its allies in Congress. In New Jersey, this coincides with skyrocketing energy demand and electricity costs, all of which make it more difficult for us to meet our climate targets.
But the challenges are not just coming from the federal level. Our state has also imposed its own barriers by failing to permit and interconnect clean-energy projects quickly and cheaply. New Jersey’s leaders may not be able to dictate what happens in Washington, D.C., but they must step up and remove the roadblocks to clean, affordable energy that are under their control.
Gov. Murphy can act now to cut the red tape that is holding back rooftop solar and home battery installations for families across the state. Solar is exceedingly popular among New Jersey voters. Unfortunately, it remains far more expensive to install here than around the world. Take Australia, where households typically install solar panels for less than $1 per watt—while we typically pay about three times as much. And Australia isn’t unique. Across other peer countries, rooftop solar costs a fraction of what it does for New Jerseyans. We shouldn’t stand for that kind of price premium.
One of the biggest reasons solar is pricier here is the time and complexity involved in permitting a project and connecting it to the grid. New Jersey has some of the longest residential solar permitting timelines and some of the most complicated and burdensome permitting requirements in the country. Each of our state’s 564 municipalities has a process, some requiring applicants to go to City Hall during limited opening times and wait in line to have applications processed manually. Permitting is so onerous in some communities that installers avoid them altogether.
This inefficiency isn’t just a headache — it’s a major cost driver. Permitting can add $3,800 to $4,500 to the cost of a typical rooftop solar system in New Jersey. For too many families, that’s the difference between going solar and giving up on the idea. It doesn’t have to be this way.
The Legislature just unanimously passed a bill (S-4100/A-5264) that would fast-track permits for rooftop solar and home batteries. All applicants would need to do is fill out standardized information online and click a button. And that’s exactly as easy as it should be. This type of “smart permitting” has a track record of safety and results, and is already in use in hundreds of communities around the country.
If Gov. Murphy signs this bill, it would be a big win. Earlier this year, Brown University Climate Lab estimated that bringing smart permitting to New Jersey could help over 200,000 families install rooftop solar, saving them $15 billion on their utility bills over the lifetime of these systems.
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please do not take our word for it, try it free for a full month
