New Jersey Community Solar
What is Community Solar
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) approved rules for a new community solar program that will give many renters, low-income families, businesses and others an easy and affordable way to go solar for the first time. The Community Solar Energy Program will enable utility customers to participate in a solar energy project that is remotely located from their property. For more information, visit the New Jersey BPU Community Solar Program*.
- Step #1 - Become a Community Solar Developer
- Step #2 - Work with Interconnection for Solar Site
- Step #3 - Bi-Directional Meter Installation
- Step #4 - Provide Bill Credits (Subscriber Organizations)
Solar Developer
Please visit the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities website to obtain information on the Community Solar Program as well as how to apply.
Interconnection
Applications and paperwork for the solar project will be submitted for approval to New Jersey Interconnection (JCP&L).
During this phase, the Developer or Contractor will need to work directly with Engineering or Interconnection on status of the project, approvals and project completion.
For more information on how to apply for interconnection go to New Jersey Interconnection.
Meter Installation
When the solar project is complete and all required paperwork, inspections and applicable fees are received the Interconnection department will request a bi-directional meter be installed.
After the bi-directional meter is installed at the solar site, an account will be established for the Host and the Subscriber Organization ID Number created.
Subscriber Lists can be submitted up to 60 days prior to project completion but the list will not be processed until the meter is installed, account is established and required information is available.
Bill Credits
1. Required Subscriber Organization or Third-Party information
The Subscriber Organization will need to contact their developer or contractor to ensure the project has been completed, bi-directional meter is installed and permission to operate was received.
- If there will be a Third Party representing the Subscriber Organization, a Letter of Authorization (LOA) will need to be filled out and returned using “Contact Supplier Services” before any information can be released to the Third Party.
- Prior to submitting the Subscriber Organization Customer List, a Subscriber Organization should already have: the Subscriber Organization ID Number (obtained from JCP&L).
2. Submitting the Intial Subscriber Organization Customer List
The completed Subscriber Organization Customer List form must be completely filled out and emailed to Supplier Services using the Contact Supplier Services form by the 20th of each month.
- Once the review has been completed, a communication will be sent to the subscriber organization informing them of the status and if any ineligible customers were found, as these ineligible customers will be treated as banked energy.
- Any generation delivered to the grid that has not been allocated to a subscriber may be “banked” by the project operator during the first 12 months of operation. The banked credits may be distributed by the project operator to any new or existing subscriber during the initial 12 months of operation or the subsequent 12 months of operation, in conformance with subscription requirements set forth in N.J.A.C. 14:8-9.6 and Board Order 8F (dated 4/12/23). At the end of 24 months of operation, any remaining banked credits and any unallocated generation will be compensated at the avoided cost of wholesale power, calculated at the nearest node to the point of delivery of the community solar project.
3. Submitting subsequent Subscriber Organization Customer Lists
Every month, a Subscriber Organization will be required to submit any changes to their original customer list, such as Add(A), Change(C), Drop(D), or even if customer remains Same(S).
- The customer list must be received by the 20th of each month prior to the start of the generation month.
- The Subscriber Organization Customer List must contain at least 10 Subscribers to be processed.
- Per tariff rules, this form needs to be submitted prior to the start of the generation month in order for the customer information to be reviewed.
- Once the review has been completed, a communication will be sent to the subscriber organization informing them of the status and if any ineligible customers were found, as these ineligible customers will be treated as banked energy.
- Any generation delivered to the grid that has not been allocated to a subscriber may be “banked” by the project operator during the first 12 months of operation. The banked credits may be distributed by the project operator to any new or existing subscriber during the initial 12 months of operation or the subsequent 12 months of operation, in conformance with subscription requirements set forth in N.J.A.C. 14:8-9.6 and Board Order 8F (dated 4/12/23). At the end of 24 months of operation, any remaining banked credits and any unallocated generation will be compensated at the avoided cost of wholesale power, calculated at the nearest node to the point of delivery of the community solar project.
4. Utility Consolidated Billing
Jersey Central Power & Light provides consolidated billing services for community distributed generation hosts and subscribers as of January 1, 2025, through on bill recovery of the subscription fee that would have otherwise been remitted directly from the Subscriber to the Subscriber Organization / Subscription Coordinator. Utility Consolidated Billing is required for residential subscribers but is optional for Non-Residential subscribers.
- Enrollment
Hosts may enroll a subscriber in net crediting via the Community Solar Host Template. Enrollment is required for residential subscribers, and optional for commercial subscribers. To enroll, the host must enter a savings rate no less than 10% on the spreadsheet, in the format of 10 or 10.X (no percent sign). If the savings rate is 0 – 9.9, an invalid message will show. If the savings rate is entered as less than 10%, a message will show, and it will default to 10%. - Unenrollment
To unenroll a subscriber from net crediting, the host must leave the savings rate column blank on the Community Solar Host Template when submitting their list.
Subscriber Information
Per the BPU, Community Solar final rules, a subscriber organization must ensure and certify that any customer’s total subscriptions and net-metered generation do not exceed 100 percent of each customer’s baseline annual usage. As such, a subscriber organization may request a customer’s 12-month historical usage. In order to receive this information, the subscriber organization must provide a customer signed Letter of Authorization (LOA) form as provided below.
We will make every attempt to respond to Historical Usage Requests withing 3 business days, however, sometimes these requests may take longer to process.
Please complete the form below and attach the form using the Contact Supplier Services. Select “NJ Community Solar” from the Request Type on the form.
Note: It is important that you select "NJ Community Solar" or it may not be routed to the appropriate team which will cause delays in the process.
Community Solar Host Template
This template is format protected. Please do not alter the format associated with this template. If this format is changed or updated, processing may be delayed.
Subscriber Frequently Asked Questions
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What are Subscriber Organizations
The solar developer will be responsible for the application, building, and maintenance of the solar array.
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What is a subscriber?
A subscriber can be a home or business that wants to use renewable energy but does not have an array on site. This may be because they are a renter or because their site is not optimal for an on-site solar system.
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What is a community solar subscription?
"Community solar subscription" or "subscription" refers to an agreement to participate in a community solar project. Subscribers receive a bill credit for a portion of the community solar capacity and/or energy produced by their community solar facility. A subscription may be measured as capacity in kW and/or energy in kWh, ownership of a panel or panels in a community solar facility, ownership of a share of a community solar project, or a fixed and/or variable monthly payment to the project operator.
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How do I participate in Community Solar as a subscriber?
If you are a JCP&L customer and need more information about New Jersey Community Solar, please visit the New Jersey BPU website*.
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How do I choose a subscriber organization?
You may subscribe to a community solar project that is located in the same service territory as your electric utility–whether you get your electricity from the utility or a retail supplier.
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How does the credit apply to my bill?
You will get a bill credit based on the amount of electricity produced by your share of the project.
Please visit the New Jersey BPU website* to learn how the credit will apply.
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What if I have questions about the credit from the Subscriber Organization?
Customers participating in the New Jersey Solar Program would contact their Subscriber Organization with questions about the program including credit allocation.
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Who is eligible to participate as a subscriber in the community solar pilot program?
Any electric utility customer in New Jersey can participate. A subscriber is any person or entity that participates in a community solar project by purchasing or paying for a portion of the capacity and/or energy produced by a community solar facility. One electric meter denotes one subscriber. A list of registered community solar subscriber organizations will be posted on the New Jersey Clean Energy Program website.
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Can a customer participate in the program and still buy electricity from a Competitive Electricity Supplier?
Yes. Participation in the program does not impact a customer’s ability to choose an energy supplier.
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How will JCP&L know where to apply the credit?
JCP&L will apply a dollar credit to the customer number provided by the subscriber organization. The credit will appear under the "Charges From JCP&L” section of the bill and will be listed as “Community Solar Credit”.
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Will the customer still have a JCP&L electric bill to pay?
Yes. The customer will continue to receive an electric bill from JCP&L and will be responsible for any charges not covered by the credit, including fixed monthly customer charges, kW demand charges and certain non-bypassable charges.
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Can a customer purchase a subscription if they already participate in Net Energy Metering?
Yes. However, NJAC 14:8-9.6.1 specifies that a customer’s total net-metered production, including both behind-the-meter generation and community solar generation, cannot exceed 100 percent of annual consumption. Existing net energy metering generator will most likely reduce or limit how large the total subscriptions can be.
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Does a subscriber need to install solar panels or other generating equipment at their premises?
No. The Community Solar Energy Pilot Program is designed to allow customers to obtain solar generation even though they lack the ability or proper site to construct their own solar project. The community solar energy pilot project will own and operate all necessary equipment.
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Can a customer subscribe to more than one community solar project?
No. NJAC restrictions specify that a customer can subscribe to only one community solar project.
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Who can a customer contact with questions regarding participation in this program?
All participation questions (e.g., investment allocation % and fees) are handled by the subscriber organization.