The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has granted approval for 16 agrivoltaic projects marking the initial wave of awards under the state’s Dual-Use Pilot Agrivoltaics program. The approved initiatives will collectively generate 52.06 megawatts of renewable energy while maintaining active agricultural use on the same land parcels.
Agrivoltaics represents an approach to solar development that integrates photovoltaic installations with ongoing farming operations. In these New Jersey projects, solar infrastructure is being paired with diverse agricultural activities including soybean and grain cultivation, hay production, vegetable and fruit farming, and livestock operations. The selected projects span eight counties: Atlantic, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Salem, and Warren.
State officials characterized the program as mutually beneficial. According to the NJBPU, the initiative supports farmers in enhancing operational profitability while simultaneously expanding renewable energy capacity for the state’s electrical grid. The program stipulates that individual projects cannot exceed 10 megawatts in capacity and must be situated on unpreserved farmland already engaged in active agricultural or horticultural production.
Projection models indicate that agrivoltaic deployment in New Jersey could expand significantly in coming years. Officials estimate total capacity could reach 200 megawatts within the next three years if development continues at a comparable pace. The pilot program received substantial interest during its initial solicitation, which generated 33 preliminary proposals representing approximately 140 megawatts of potential capacity, providing data that will inform the structure of a permanent state agrivoltaics program.
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