New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 14 - PUBLIC UTILITIES › Chapter 8 - RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY › Subchapter 9 - COMMUNITY SOLAR ENERGY PILOT PROGRAM RULES › Section 14:8-9.3 - Pilot Program structure

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) The
				Pilot Program shall run for a period of no more than 36 months, divided into
				Program Year 1 (PY1), Program Year 2 (PY2), and Program Year 3 (PY3). Program
				Year 1 shall begin February 19, 2019, and last until December 31, 2019.
				Subsequent program years shall begin on January 1 and last for the full
				calendar year.
(b) No later than
				January 1, 2022, the Board shall adopt rules to convert the Pilot Program to a
				Community Solar Energy Program.
(c)
				For each of the three program years, Board staff shall initiate an annual
				application process pursuant to the Clean Energy Act as follows:
1. Board staff shall present to the Board for
				approval the application for participation in the Pilot Program and the
				criteria for evaluation of said applications.
2. Board staff shall open an application
				period for the Pilot Program for a length of time to be enacted at the official
				approval of the application process.
3. Following the close of the application
				period, Board staff will evaluate and score projects based on criteria
				identified in the application. Only applications that are substantively
				complete by the close of the application period will be considered for
				participation in the Pilot Program for that program year.
4. Board staff will not accept applications
				for EDCs to develop, own, or operate community solar projects beyond the
				billing and other responsibilities set forth in this subchapter.
5. Projects will be presented to the Board
				for approval for participation in the Pilot Program beginning with the
				highest-scored project, and until the allocated program capacity for that year
				is filled.
6. Board staff may
				reject applications that are substantively incomplete at the close of the
				application period, that are not in compliance with this subchapter, or that do
				not meet a minimum standard for selection, as set forth in the application. The
				Board reserves the right to request additional or modified information to
				complete an application.
7.
				Approved projects shall provide quarterly updates on the status of project
				progress through a form to be made available by Board staff.
8. Approved projects are expected to become
				fully operational (up to and including having subscribers receive bill credits
				for their subscription to the project) within 18 months of their approval by
				the Board. Board staff may approve one six-month extension if substantial
				progress is demonstrated towards becoming fully operational within the initial
				18-month period, as determined upon review by Board staff based on the specific
				circumstances of the project. The Board may grant subsequent extensions if it
				deems warranted upon review of a petition submitted to the Board.
9. Board staff may initiate more than one
				application period per Program Year.
10. The application periods for PY2 and PY3
				may be opened as early as 90 days prior to the end of the previous program
				year.
11. In the approval process,
				Board staff may determine that it is appropriate to limit the number of
				projects approved for a single developer in a program year, in order to promote
				a diverse pool of developers.