NJ Dep't Of Energy Details Master Plan Efforts

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin today issued the following statement concerning legislative hearings and misinformation surrounding the Christie Administration’s 2011 Draft Energy Master Plan:

“Energy as industry is critical to our state’s environmental and economic future. Governor Christie has aggressively promoted the development of renewable energy sources and provided the leadership necessary to move New Jersey forward into a greener, more economically prosperous energy future. The Christie Administration’s Draft Energy Master Plan charts a course to achieve substantial and realistic goals, not Corzine-era platitudes that contain no substance. The Governor’s plan maintains the 7th most aggressive renewable energy portfolio standard in the nation at 22.5 percent. Driving cleaner, in-state energy production from home grown sources such as offshore wind and solar, the Governor’s environmental and clean energy agenda is a true testament to our state’s role as a national leader, promoting sound and environmentally responsible policy to meet our state's energy needs, to protect our air, water land and natural resources, and to advance a competitive and affordable climate for New Jersey families and businesses.”

New Jersey Renewable Energy By the Numbers
“The future for New Jersey is in green energy and already we’ve put in place policies to broaden our access to renewable sources of energy, cleaner natural gas generation and ending our reliance on coal generation.”
– Governor Chris Christie, 5/26/11

· According to the Department of Energy, New Jersey has the 7th highest Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard in the nation at 22.5%.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, New Jersey is 2nd in the nation only to California for installed solar capacity.

· For the first quarter of 2011, New Jersey installed 42 MW of solar, representing 49% growth over first quarter 2010.

· From June through August, more than 70 MW additional capacity were installed;

· As of August 31, NJ has 11,245 solar energy array projects installed across the state providing over 430 MW of installed capacity.

Wind Achievements:
 

· Began transformation of Paulsboro Port, turning a Brownfield site into a revitalized economic engine which is expected to generate more than 2,000 jobs and $12 million a year in tax revenues. Among other uses, the port will accommodate the special ships required for offshore windmills, and the wind turbines planned for installation off the coast of Atlantic City will be assembled there.

· Accelerated development of offshore wind projects through close coordination with the federal government to speed implementation of 1,000 MW of wind turbines;

· Conducted a Board of Public Utilities application process for prospective developers of offshore wind projects to be located in New Jersey waters;

· Joined with the federal government and fellow East Coast states to establish the Offshore Wind Consortium to promote commercial wind development on the Outer Continental Shelf of the East Coast;

· Provided "areas of interest" to the US Department of the Interior, enabling the subsequent federal "Call for Nominations" for wind project leases off the Jersey coast, which garnered 11 project proposals representing a combined 12,500 megawatts of green energy capacity;

· Signed the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act to provide financial assistance and tax credits to businesses that construct manufacturing, assembly and water access facilities that support offshore wind projects;

· Completed a first-of-its-kind, two-year baseline study that identifies environmentally optimal sites for offshore wind turbines.
 

Solar Achievements:

· New Jersey has 11,245 solar energy projects installed across the state providing over 430 MW of installed capacity;

· New Jersey has one of the nation’s most robust and mature Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) markets, which along with the best availability for long-term SREC contracts makes project finance much easier to attain;

· For the first quarter of 2011, New Jersey installed 42 MW of solar, representing 49% growth over first quarter 2010;

· The state has become a market primarily for non-residential projects over 100 kW;

· New Jersey is home to the largest rooftop solar array in the country, Gloucester Marine Terminal, at just over 9MW, 1 million square feet of panels, $42 million project, which powers 80% of the port’s refrigeration and freezer warehouses;

· New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) has begun construction on a project to transform a closed Commission landfill into a productive solar farm that will generate up to 3 MW of renewable, cost-efficient electricity, expected to be placed in service during the fourth quarter of 2011.