New Jersey
New Jersey solar in 2026
New Jersey is not a simple electricity-rate story. The grid price is high, but the real differentiator is a second revenue stream: SREC-II payments through the Successor Solar Incentive program. That payment moved from $85 to $77 per MWh for registrations submitted on or after July 27, 2026. A good roof still matters. A clean registration process matters just as much.
New Jersey's high bill rate matters, but it is not the whole deal
A paid-off array can make power for less than the statewide household grid figure. The proposal still needs two clocks: when the home uses electricity and when the SREC-II registration is submitted. Retail net metering and a production payment solve different parts of the project.
| Energy source | Type | Average price | What that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey household electric service | Electricity from the grid | 23.27¢ per billed kWh | Preliminary May 2026 statewide residential result from EIA. |
| New Jersey residential gas service | Natural gas fuel | $15.93 for each Mcf | EIA's May 2026 household price series, roughly 5.2 cents per thermal kWh. |
| Owned roof solar | On-roof generation | ~7.9¢ per kWh produced | Twenty-five-year estimate from EnergySage state costs and our PVGIS output. Generation cost is not a guarantee of exported-power compensation. |
The electricity benchmark is EIA Table 5.6.A, May 2026. New Jersey residential gas pricing is from EIA natural gas prices, May 2026. A Mcf is about 304 kWh of thermal energy. Our methodology explains the solar calculation.
A nearly level production map
The four modeled cities are packed into a narrow range. That is useful because it removes a common distraction. For a normal New Jersey project, the harder question is not whether Camden or Newark has the better resource. It is whether the sale is sized to your load and registered correctly under ADI.
| Modeled New Jersey city | Annual kWh from one kW | Likely annual generation, 12.75 kW |
|---|---|---|
| Newark | 1363.1 | 17,380 kWh |
| Trenton | 1358.9 | 17,326 kWh |
| Atlantic City | 1362.2 | 17,368 kWh |
| Camden | 1356.6 | 17,297 kWh |
Method: PVGIS v5.2 model runs by Solar Learning Lab on August 18, 2026, using the NSRDB radiation database. Assumptions: fixed roof mount, south facing, 30 degree tilt, 14 percent losses. Your roof will differ.
SREC-II is not a footnote
New Jersey pairs retail net metering with the Successor Solar Incentive program. Residential projects in the Administratively Determined Incentive pathway earn a fixed SREC-II payment per MWh. That makes the state unusual: the project has bill savings and a documented production payment, rather than only an export credit.
The policy risk is visible, not theoretical. The residential value stepped down from $85 to $77 per MWh for registrations submitted on or after July 27, 2026, and Energy Year 2027 registrations run to June 1, 2027. Do not accept a quote that treats the old number as permanent or skips the word registration. Ask who files it, what date controls, and whether the contract assigns the SREC-II payment to you or the provider.
NJ Clean Energy ADI program explains the payment schedule and registration rules. SEIA describes the state framework as net metering, a solar RPS, and an SREC market.
Incentives that belong in the contract
| Item | Value | Fine print |
|---|---|---|
| SREC-II, ADI residential | $77 per MWh | For registrations submitted on or after July 27, 2026; dated schedule and registration timing matter (NJ Clean Energy) |
| Homeowner 25D credit | Ended following December 31, 2025 | A lease or PPA company can still claim 48E and may share some value through pricing (CRS) |
State solar tax-exemption dollars are not shown because no current value is verified here. A sales deck should not turn an unsupported line item into promised savings.
New Jersey's registration date can change a payment that lasts beyond the sale
The ADI pathway pays a fixed SREC-II for residential, net-metered projects on top of retail net metering. The schedule changed on a stated date: registrations submitted on or after July 27, 2026 receive $77/MWh, down from $85/MWh. The earlier state factsheet showed $90/MWh. That sequence is exactly why a proposal needs a dated program assumption rather than one headline number.
Energy Year 2027 registrations run through June 1, 2027. The trigger is the registration submission, not the installation date. Put the filing responsibility, expected submission date, and SREC-II owner in the contract. If the provider keeps the payment, the cash price and savings illustration should make that trade explicit. If the homeowner keeps it, the contract should say so just as plainly.
New Jersey had 5,627 MW installed, ranked 11th nationally, and solar accounted for 8.40% of state electricity through Q1 2025. That market depth does not remove local utility differences. PSE&G has approximately 2.2 million electric customers, while Atlantic City Electric has 545,000. A proposal should identify the serving utility and the net-metering path before it uses a statewide result as if it were a utility bill.
An association cannot prohibit solar collectors on a solely owned single-family roof, or on a townhouse roof the owner must repair, under N.J.S.A. 45:22A-48.2. Reasonable association rules can remain. That makes an early document review practical, especially when panel placement is part of the production estimate.
This is why the state's policy stack matters. SEIA describes New Jersey solar as driven by net metering, a solar RPS, and an accompanying SREC market. The consumer should make sure the contract identifies which of those value streams is being modeled, who receives it, and what submission date controls it.
NJ Clean Energy's ADI page states the current schedule and registration window. New Jersey's solar factsheet contains the earlier value. SEIA's New Jersey profile, PSE&G, Atlantic City Electric, and N.J.S.A. 45:22A-48.2 support the related state, utility, and solar-rights details.
Run the bill offset, then separate the SREC-II math
This model uses the retail rate and a New Jersey production range. It intentionally does not invent an SREC-II schedule, because the payment depends on program registration and ownership. Treat the calculator as a load-offset screen, then have the installer show the incentive cash flow separately.
Slider bounds come from PVGIS runs across four New Jersey cities. The production spread is narrow; program timing, not city selection, is the bigger variable.
Cash quotes in New Jersey cluster near $2.70 per watt, against a $3.50 national 2024 median (LBNL). Use your quote.
Assumptions you can change
Use the rate on your actual lease or PPA quote. There is no published statewide average we trust enough to hardcode.
Cash purchase
$13,230 after state credit
- Year 1 benefit
- $129/mo
- Payback
- 8 years
- 20 year net position
- $24,401
No state income-tax credit is modeled. The meaningful state payment is SREC-II, a per-MWh incentive paid through the ADI pathway, so read its registration timing before you price a system.
Solar loan
$172/mo 15 yr payment
- Year 1 net
- -$43/mo
- Upfront
- $0
- 20 year net position
- $6,713
We price loans at $3.90 per watt, the EnergySage cash figure plus the $1.20 per watt LBNL loan-over-cash spread.
Lease / PPA
$0 down you buy the power
- Year 1 net
- -$4/mo
- Upfront
- $0
- 20 year net position
- $685
A lease or PPA provider can claim the federal 48E business credit. Ask whether the contract also assigns the SREC-II payment and who carries the registration work.
Estimates, not quotes. Inputs use the New Jersey average rate from EIA, our PVGIS production runs, and EnergySage August 2026 cost data. SREC-II timing and program registration are not modeled. We are a solar installer and we also partner with other solar companies. See our disclosures.
New Jersey checks before you sign
- Put the ADI registration submission date in the contract. Installation completion is not the policy trigger.
- Ask whether the SREC-II payment is assigned, retained, or shared. A low cash price can hide a valuable production stream.
- For a solely owned single-family roof, an association cannot prohibit solar collectors under N.J.S.A. 45:22A-48.2, though reasonable rules can still affect the plan.
- Right-size against annual consumption. The net-metering rule helps, but oversized production is not a substitute for clean system economics.
New Jersey installers with visible review histories
This list spans the state rather than pretending one metro has the only credible firms. Ratings do not prove proposal quality. Use them as a starting point, then compare SREC-II ownership language, equipment scope, and the contractor record.
Suntuity Renewables
Holmdel, NJ
4.4(1,646 Google reviews)
Momentum Solar
South Plainfield, NJ
3.6(1,458 Google reviews)
Infinity Energy
Mahwah, NJ
4.7(654 Google reviews)
Green Power Energy
Annandale, NJ
4.7(550 Google reviews)
PosiGen Home Solar
Ewing Township, NJ
4.8(539 Google reviews)
Ratings snapshot: Google Maps, August 2026, via the DataForSEO SERP feed. Zero companies paid us and none are endorsed by us. Verify the contractor's applicable New Jersey license before you sign.
Get a New Jersey estimate built around the paperwork
We are a solar installer and we also partner with other solar companies. Details in our disclosures.
What does your monthly electric bill look like?
New Jersey average is $128 per month (EIA, 2024).