16 agrivoltaic projects in the state of New Jersey have just gotten approval to move forward by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU). Together, the projects aren’t huge, but they do total 52.06 more megawatts of clean, renewable energy, produced on land productively being used for agricultural purposes. These are the first projects receiving awards under the Dual-Use Pilot Agrivoltaics program. “When we passed the Dual-Use Solar Energy Act, this is exactly the progress we hoped to see: New Jersey farmers producing food and clean power on the same acre of land,” said Senator Bob Smith. “These 16 projects prove we don’t have to choose between keeping farmland in active production and building the generation capacity our state needs — we can have both. Farmers have always been stewards of the land, and now they can help power New Jersey’s clean-energy future while strengthening their own bottom line.” “This pilot dual-use program will enable us to support New Jersey farmers in making their operations more profitable while adding capacity to the grid,” said NJBPU President Ben Hertz-Shargel. “It ensures farmland remains in active agricultural or horticultural production while enhancing the value of established farming practices. Combining that with new clean electric supply for the grid represents a true win-win for the Garden State.” There are different ways solar PV projects can be combined with agricultural land, and different types of agricultural land they can be partnered with. In these cases in New Jersey, solar power is being paired with soybeans, hay, grains, vegetables, fruits, and livestock production. The projects are located in Atlantic, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Salem, and Warren Counties. This is the start — 52.06 MW. Within the next three years, the total amount of agrivoltaics deployed could reach 200 MW. Each individual project, though, is supposed to be 10 MW or less in capacity. “Projects must be located on unpreserved farmland already in active agricultural or horticultural use, and eligible teams must include a landowner, farmer and solar operator, with farmers participating meaningfully in project planning and operation,” NJBPU shares. “The program received strong early interest: NJBPU’s first solicitation received 33 preliminary proposals totaling about 140 MW. Lessons from the full pilot will inform how New Jersey establishes a permanent agrivoltaics program.”
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