State seeks public input on energy future
New Jersey has made a commitment to power the state with 50% clean energy by 2050. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has begun a series of public meetings to get input from the public to develop a plan to meet this goal. These meetings give solar advocates an opportunity to ensure rooftop and community solar are at the cornerstone of the Garden State’s energy system.
New Jersey’s current electric grid is outdated, vulnerable to extreme weather events, and inadequate to meet our state’s energy challenges. These meetings are an opportunity to demonstrate public support for a decentralized and dynamic energy system. This will allow us to have resilient, local power in our communities and the ability to benefit from our own energy production.
Declining costs for solar and storage technology make clear that the key to the modern grid will be distributed rooftop solar coupled with battery storage and electric vehicles. We do not need to rely on energy generated hundreds of miles away and transmitted through vulnerable infrastructure. Solar plus storage allows us to power our grid safely with a dependable and affordable fuel supply that generates economic benefits and jobs throughout the Garden State.
There will be five public meetings organized by topic. A calendar of topics, locations, and times are below. If you are interested to testify, you can sign up at the BPU website.
Clean and Renewable Power – Friday, September 7, 10 a.m.
The College of New Jersey, Gitenstein Library
2000 Pennington Road, Ewing Township
Reducing Energy Consumption – Friday, September 14, 10 a.m.
The College of New Jersey, Gitenstein Library
2000 Pennington Road, Ewing Township
Clean and Reliable Transportation – Thursday, September 20, 10 a.m.
The College of New Jersey, Gitenstein Library
2000 Pennington Road, Ewing Township
Building a Modern Grid – Monday, September 24, 10 a.m.
Mercer County Community College, the Conference Center at Mercer
1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor
Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure – Friday, September 28, 10 a.m.
Mercer County Community College, the Conference Center at Mercer
1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor