New Jersey Schools To Incorporate Solar Power In Buildings

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The state legislature of New Jersey is currently reviewing A1084, which will make installation of solar panels in new public school buildings mandatory in order for the schools to receive funding for construction of new facilities.

The bill states that the State’s Commissioner of Education may not approve an application to construct new school facilities if these do not incorporate solar panels in their design. This is in line with the Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act. The bill is currently being reviewed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which is awaiting technical review by the Legislative Council to confirm whether the law will not violate previously-enacted laws.

New Jersey is currently the second state in the US after California with the most photovoltaic installations. It currently has about 200 Megawatts of installed capacity as of October this year. Meanwhile, New Jersey has one of the biggest budgets in terms of school construction across the country.

The bill notes that the use of solar energy is both beneficial to the budget and to government coffers, in that cost-savings will be realized in the long run, as electricity rates from a mainly fossil-fuel-fed grid continue to rise.