Gov. Phil Murphy last week announced a “major milestone” in his clean energy transition program: The state has reached 5 gigawatts of solar energy capacity, more than double what it was in 2017.
The governor’s Jan. 23 announcement says that there are now more than 200,000 solar installations in the state, ranging from roof-top systems to community solar installations to utility-scale solar farms.
Murphy said New Jersey “is making solar energy more affordable and accessible than ever before.”
Board of Public Utilities President Christine Guhl-Sadovy said the achievement “reflects the hard work of the NJBPU to bolster our solar sector and the thousands of good, local jobs it employs.”
According to the BPU, 5 gigawatts of solar capacity is enough energy to power 700,000 homes.
Solar power gains have also been a national success story. In the third quarter of 2024 the U.S. saw the installation of 8.6 gigawatts of capacity, representing a 21% increase over third quarter 2023. Nationally the utility segment where large-scale solar installations feed the grid directly saw its highest third quarter on record. Texas and Florida continued to be the top-ranked states for capacity installed in 2024.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
