New Jersey A 5636: Permits U.S. citizens who are full time college students to be district board members in county of college even if student is not a resident of county or State.

Bill Text

A5636 

ASSEMBLY, No. 5636 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

INTRODUCED OCTOBER 15, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� ROBERT J. KARABINCHAK

District 18 (Middlesex)

SYNOPSIS

���� Modifies geographic restrictions for solar energy 
projects participating in community solar program. 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� As introduced.

�� 

An Act concerning geographic restrictions for community solar 
energy projects and amending P.L.2018, c.17.

���� Be It 
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1. Section 5 of P.L.2018, c.17 
(C.48:3-87.11) is amended to read as follows:

���� 5. a. No later than 210 days 
after the date of enactment of P.L.2018, c.17 (C.48:3-87.8 et al.), the Board 
of Public Utilities shall adopt, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure 
Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations establishing 
a �Community Solar Energy Pilot Program� to permit customers of an electric 
public utility to participate in a solar energy project that is remotely 
located from their properties but is within their electric public utility 
service territory to allow for a credit to the customer's utility bill equal to 
the electricity generated that is attributed to the customer's participation in 
the solar energy project.

���� b.��� The rules and 
regulations developed by the board shall establish:

���� (1)�� a capacity limit for 
individual solar energy projects to a maximum of five megawatts per project;

���� (2)�� an annual capacity limit 
for all solar energy projects under the pilot program;

���� (3)�� geographic limitations 
for solar energy projects and participating customers;

���� (4)�� a minimum number of 
participating customers for each solar energy project;

���� (5)�� the value of the credit 
on each participating customer's bill;

���� (6)�� standards to limit the 
land use impact of a solar energy project as required in subsection r. of 
section 38 of P.L.1999, c.23 (C.48:3-87);

���� (7)�� the provision of access 
to solar energy projects for low and moderate income customers;

���� (8)�� standards to ensure the 
ability of residential and commercial customers to participate in solar energy 
projects, including residential customers in multifamily housing;

���� (9)�� standards for connection 
to the distribution system of an electric public utility; and

���� (10) provisions to minimize 
impacts to the distribution system of an electric public utility. 

���� c.���� The board shall make 
available on its Internet website information on solar energy projects whose 
owners are seeking participants. 

���� d.��� The board shall 
establish standards and an application process for owners of solar energy 
projects who wish to be included in the Community Solar Energy Pilot Program. 
The standards for the Community Solar Energy Pilot Program shall include, but 
need not be limited to, a verification process to ensure that the solar energy 
projects are producing an amount of energy that is greater than or equal to the 
amount of energy that is being credited to its participating customer's 
electric utility bills pursuant to subsection b. of this section, and consumer 
protection measures.� Projects approved by the board shall have at least two 
participating customers.

���� The board may restrict 
qualified solar energy projects to those located on brownfields, landfills, 
areas designated in need of redevelopment, in underserved communities, or on 
commercial rooftops. A solar facility located on a landfill, brownfield, 
contaminated site, or mining site may include associated lands, contiguous 
tracts of land, or related, non-contiguous tracts of land, which are developed 
as part of the same project.� The board shall not impose any limitations on the 
facility based on the proportion of associated, contiguous, or related lands 
relative to the total project area or capacity.

���� e.���� Subject to review by 
the board, an electric public utility shall be entitled to full and timely cost 
recovery for all costs incurred in implementation and compliance with this 
section.

���� f.���� No later than 36 months 
after adoption of the rules and regulations required pursuant to subsection b. 
of this section, the board shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the 
�Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to convert 
the Community Solar Energy Pilot Program to a permanent program.� The board 
shall adopt rules and regulations for the permanent program that set forth 
standards for projects owned by special purpose entities and nonprofit 
entities.� The rules and regulations shall also:

���� (1)�� limit the capacity of 
each solar energy project to a maximum of five megawatts;

���� (2) (a) establish a goal for 
the conditional registration of 225 megawatts of solar energy projects prior to 
June 1, 2024, with an additional 275 megawatts prior to June 1, 2024 if 
qualified applications exce