New Jersey Land Use and Environmental Law

By: Henry T. Chou, Esq.

The New Jersey Legislature is set to introduce a bill that aims to stablize the state’s solar industry, which has been in free fall since early summer. Assemblyman Upendra Chivakula (D-Middlesex) expects to introduce a bill in the lame duck session that would halt the precipitous drop of prices for solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs), which is a major mechanism for financing photovoltaic (PV) systems in New Jersey.

Continue reading "Legislature Poised to Boost Struggling Solar Industry" »

Posted by Henry T. Chou, Esq. at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By: Henry T. Chou, Esq.

On June 23, 2011, Governor Christie conditionally vetoed S-2006/A-3125, which would have amended the Municipal Land Use Law ("MLUL") to generally prohibit municipalities from regulating the installation of solar panels on residential properties and to limit the amount of fees municipalities may charge for applications pertaining to solar panel installations. The bill was business-friendly insofar it would have made it easier and cheaper for homeowners to install solar panels.

Continue reading "Bill Prohibiting Municipal Regulation of Solar Panels is Vetoed by Governor Christie" »

Posted by Henry T. Chou, Esq. at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By: Michael J. Lipari, Esq.

Princeton Borough, Princeton Township and Princeton Regional Schools have contracted with the New Jersey consulting firm Gabel Associates to provide a feasibility study to explore the potential for solar installations throughout the municipalities. If all goes well, the entities will enter into a power purchase agreement (“PPA”) with a solar developer to implement the plan.

Continue reading "Princeton to Explore Solar Project via Power Purchase Agreement" »

Posted by Henry T. Chou, Esq. at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By: Michael J. Lipari, Esq.

Renewable energy projects continue their emergence throughout New Jersey as the beneficial aspects of these projects are being realized by property owners. New Jersey is currently ranked second in the United States for solar installations largely in part to the emergence of solar fields being constructed on farms and otherwise vacant land. Recent state and federal legislative initiatives have made these types of projects economically feasible.

Continue reading "Princeton University to Develop Solar Field" »

Posted by Henry T. Chou, Esq. at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By: Henry T. Chou, Esq.

The Pinelands Commission has approved a solar farm project on top of a closed landfill in Stafford Township. Recognizing the benefits of the solar farm and its consistency with the goals of the Pinelands Master Plan, the Commission granted a waiver from the conservation easement requiring the former landfill to be maintained as open space.

Continue reading "Pinelands Commission Approves Solar Farm on Former Landfill in Stafford" »

Posted by Henry T. Chou, Esq. at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By: Henry T. Chou, Esq.

On October 20, 2010, a partnership of Dallas-based Panda Power Funds and New York-based Con Edison Development began construction on one of the nation's largest solar farms in Pilesgrove, New Jersey, a rural community in Salem County, approximately 20 miles from Wilmington, Delaware.

Continue reading "Construction Begins on Nation's Second Largest Solar Farm" »

Posted by Henry T. Chou, Esq. at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By: Henry T. Chou, Esq.

As you drive by the industrial warehouse district in your town, imagine for a minute that the large, drab buildings have been replaced with solar panel fields and windmills. As improbable as that may sound, the New Jersey Legislature has envisioned such a result for the State's suburban and urban areas.

Continue reading "Legislature Approves Bill Permitting Wind and Solar Facilities in Industrial Zones" »

Posted by Henry T. Chou, Esq. at 06:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)