Washington, D.C. (January 26, 2018) – Yesterday, at a hearing in the New Jersey Legislature, there was a broad group of community stakeholders who testified in favor of developing a community solar program. Community solar refers to local solar facilities shared by individual community members, who receive credits on their electricity bills for their portion of the power produced. The Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA), a coalition of over forty businesses and non-profits working to expand access to clean, local affordable energy through community solar, issued the following statement in response to yesterday’s hearing:
“New Jersey has long been a leader in solar, but with over a third of households renting their homes, nearly half of housing being multifamily homes, and numerous businesses and governments with roofs unable to host a solar system, there are many people across the state who have not been able to realize the cost savings that comes from access to solar,” said Jeff Cramer, Executive Director of the Coalition for Community Solar Access. “Thanks to support from a diverse array of advocacy groups coupled with a strong endorsement by Governor Murphy and demand from consumers across the state, New Jersey is poised to become the seventeenth state to adopt community solar. We look forward to working with all stakeholders in New Jersey as the legislative process unfolds to develop a community solar program that ensures a win, win, win solution for customers, the grid, and the environment. That means a program large enough to serve tens of thousands of customers over the next several years, including residential and low-income customers, and structured in a way that ensures customers will save money. If properly implemented, a community solar program can provide opportunities for everyone in New Jersey to benefit from the savings, local investment and jobs, and environmental benefits of solar.”
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About CCSA: Founded in February 2016, CCSA is a business-led trade organization that works to expand access to clean, local, affordable energy nationwide through community solar. Community solar refers to local solar facilities shared by individual community members, who receive credits on their electricity bills for their portion of the power produced. Community solar projects provide American homeowners, renters and businesses access to the benefits of solar energy generation unconstrained by the physical attributes of their home or business, like roof space, shading, or whether or not they own their residence or building. These programs can also expand access to solar energy to low-income households. For more information, visit the website at www.communitysolaraccess.org, follow the Coalition on Twitter at @solaraccess and like the Coalition on Facebook at www.facebook.com/communitysolaraccess.