Bill Text: NJ S2816 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requires electric public utilities to submit to BPU and implement electric infrastructure improvement plans.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Engrossed) 2024-05-20 - Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee [S2816 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S2816-Amended.html
[Second Reprint]
SENATE, No. 2816
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 22, 2024
Sponsored by:
Senator BOB SMITH
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
Senator JOHN F. MCKEON
District 27 (Essex and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Requires electric public utilities to submit to BPU and implement electric infrastructure improvement plans.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As amended by the Senate on May 13, 2024.
An Act concerning distributed energy sources and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
"Board" means the Board of Public Utilities.
"Reactive power" means the portion of alternating current electricity, measured in volt-amperes reactive, that cannot do useful work due to a misalignment of the current and voltage waveforms of the electricity.
b. The Board of Public Utilities shall require each electric public utility to file, no later than 2[90] 1202 days after the effective date of this act, an electric infrastructure improvement plan, in accordance with procedures established by the board. The purpose of the plans shall be to reopen many of the State's electric distribution circuits that have been closed to any additional renewable energy installations, or restricted to 100 kilowatts or less of remaining circuit capacity. 1A plan shall not be required to include infrastructure improvements to the electric transmission system.1 Each plan shall include provisions for:
(1) permitting the flow of electricity, through an electrical substation, from the distribution system to the transmission system;
(2) requiring 2those2 solar inverters 2that are located on closed circuits2 to 2[include, activate, and utilize all available] utilize standard smart2 inverter technology that allows the inverter to inject and absorb reactive power 2[autonomously or in response to remote control]2 ;
(3) requiring 2those2 energy storage systems 2that are located on closed circuits2 to 2[include, activate, and utilize all available] utilize standard smart2 inverter technology that allows the energy storage system to inject and absorb real and reactive power; 2and2
(4) 2[requiring solar photovoltaic systems to include, activate, and use technology and services that enable the power output of the system to respond to short-term predictions of weather conditions to control the rate of change of power output or other system parameters; and
(5)]2 any additional low-cost and highly actionable 2[potential solutions] non-wires alternatives2 identified by an electric public utility 2as a potential means2 to reopen closed electric distribution circuits to renewable energy installations.
c. No later than 2[120] 3002 days after the effective date of this act, the board shall review and 2may2 approve, 1[or]1 approve with modifications, 1or disapprove1 each electric infrastructure improvement plan 2that the board deems to be complete2 . As a condition of approval, the board shall require each electric public utility to 2:
(1) submit performance metrics and reports to the board, showing whether the implementation of the electric infrastructure improvement plan has resulted in additional distributed energy resource interconnection approvals, including an accounting of all interconnection approvals, the types of distributed energy resource projects that were approved, and the total capacity of distributed energy resource projects that were approved because of the implementation of the plan, and
(2)2 schedule the associated work to be completed 2in a reasonable and prudent manner2 at the earliest date possible.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
