New Jersey Master Plan Essay 1

New Jersey Energy Master Plan Essay

Danika Hasher
March 19, 2019
Environmental Planning
Stockton University
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New Jersey Energy Master Plan Essay

Where NJ get its power from now and in the future

In the state of New Jersey electrical power comes from one of the following four

companies; Atlantic City Electric (ACE), Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L), Public Service

Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), and Rockland Electric Company (RECO). All four of these

companies are a part of a larger electrical market called Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland

Interconnection (PJM), which includes thirteen states. The power that is utilized and created

from these companies comes from a mix of many different sources. When the information for

this particular Energy Master plan was gathered .18% of the energy generation came from oil-

fired plants, 51.94% came from nuclear, 8.61% came from coal-fired plants, 38.08% came from

natural gas, and 1.18% came from renewables. This information was gathered back in 2011 and

as of that time New Jersey’s use of natural gas for power generation was smaller even though

the potential was much larger than the falling oil-based generation. As of 2015 natural gas beat

out nuclear power as an energy generation source. Many of the old coal fired plants have been

converted to natural gas plants with others planned to change in the future. As for the nuclear

sites, in 2018 legislation was approved to give subsidies for improvements to the nuclear sites

to help them compete better with natural gas plants.

How much is renewable

As of 2011 only about 1.18% of the energy generation in New Jersey came from

renewable fuel sources. Today the more recent statistics show that renewable sources have

grown to 5% of New Jersey’s energy generation. New Jersey’s renewable portfolio standard

(RPS) was enacted in 1999 as a way to restructure the energy sector. A new law that has been
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recently enacted has a step system design to get the state to use more renewables in the future

with phases that correspond to generation percentages. By the year 2030 the state wants 50%

of its energy generation to come from a source that has been proven to be renewable.

Steps NJ is taking to get more renewable sources

New Jersey has the most aggressive renewable portfolio standards in the United States.

The renewable portfolio standard (RPS) states that electricity that is sold to consumers must

come from at least 21% renewable sources by the year 2021. The newly updated RPS states

that 50% of electricity generation must come from renewables by 2030. Through the 2011 state

energy master plan there were provisions set to help with the growth of renewables. Along

with many provisions to aid in the widespread use of solar panels, there was a tax exemption

for residential units that installed solar panels on their property. There were also provisions set

so that the use of wind power could be expanded in the appropriate locations for such

infrastructure.

Why we can’t just use wind and solar

New Jersey’s energy infrastructure would need a major overhaul in order to transition to

using only wind and solar power. With such great changes to the infrastructure comes a great

cost to companies and in the long run, its customers. As of right now two of the biggest sources

of energy in the state are natural gas and nuclear power. Changing the already existing

infrastructure can be difficult because of how over populated the state is. Where would all of

the solar panels and windfarms needed to power the state go? With all of the pre-existing

infrastructure in the state from other uses and the overall over population of the state, finding

space for all of the solar and wind infrastructure could be difficult. There are proposals to
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create wind farms off of the coast of New Jersey so that wind farms don’t take up too much

space on the land itself. For solar, the big issue is where all of the panels will go and if they go

on top of buildings then who would own the energy that is created from all of the panels.

Another challenge with these types of renewables would be where to store all of the energy

produced. There would need to be areas of energy storage so that the state isn’t just using all

that is producing.

Issues associated with large scale distribution

With the large-scale distribution of energy comes the influence of politics. The large-scale

aspects of energy distribution come from large companies and with those large companies

comes lobbyists and more money to throw behind legislation. Trying to transition from large

scale distribution through nonrenewable sources, or fossil fuels, would be difficult because of

all of the money these industries have. Without all of the technology to store energy for

distribution, solar power is hard and very expensive to distribute to large areas. Other

nonrenewable sources are easier to distribute to large areas. Solar can also be hard to

distribute over large areas if those areas are less likely to see increased sunlight. Areas with

more abundant sunlight and proper technology will have an easier time with distribution.

Issues associated with small scale renewable

Small scale renewable energy, while it can seem very appealing, comes with many

different challenges. One of the problems is an overall lack of sufficient funding. When it comes

to small companies trying to use or spread the use of renewable energy, there is a lack of

financial support for them. Companies and banks may be less willing to give them money

because of how uncertain and poorly understood these technologies are. Sponsors for these
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smaller scale projects can be harder to find in certain places. An area with more people and

more financial capability would be more likely to get these projects funded. The cost associated

with creating and developing small scale renewable projects can be a big part as to why they

don’t get funded. Higher price tags and the chance that the price tag will rise can deter

companies from putting money into development. Another issue that would arise would be

whether or not the resource is adequate. When using a new resource for energy, there needs

to be a certain level of understanding as to how the resource will perform under the stress of

wide spread use. Even if the use is in a smaller area, it needs to be reliable. There are certain

expectations for energy performance and when dealing with customers, the sources need to be

reliable.

Why or why not nuclear could be the answer

New Jersey currently has two functioning nuclear power plants. The third plant recently

shut down in September of 2018. As of 2015 natural gas surpassed nuclear power for electricity

generation in the state. With the closing of one plant and the increase in natural gas use, New

Jersey has started to create subsidies for these nuclear plants so they can remain functional.

There are no plans in the works to create a third nuclear plant in the state, even though the

state enjoys the benefits of such energy production. The biggest problem with these plants is

the radioactive waste that is produced. Nuclear power generation creates many jobs and the

outcome of the process creates a cleaner form of renewable energy. The state would just need

to create the infrastructure and do the research as to where to put a new plant. The big issue is

convincing people that it is okay to have and use nuclear power. With what happened in Japan
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after the earthquake and tsunami, and with what happened at Three Mile Island, it may be hard

to advocate for the creation of more nuclear power plants.

Why New Jersey’s solar program fizzled

Before the major crash, New Jersey had the second largest solar market in the country.

The original cost of solar energy in the state used to be higher, but with the implementation of

a credit system the cost of solar changed. The program became unbalanced and crashed. The

number of jobs that were held in the solar industry fell and the price of solar panels dropped.

Today the program is beginning to grow again but the fear of collapse is still there.

Recommendations for future plans

There are no major aspects to the state energy plan that should be changed. The plan itself

obviously needs some updating. The energy plan should be reviewed every five years without

any push back. The new energy plan is scheduled to be released in June of this year, and when

looking back at the 2011 plan there is some data used that no longer holds up. There is

information that can be better found through other internet sources. However, the state plan

should include more information on what can be done to change energy resources. If there is a

goal that needs to be met through energy planning, then some steps should be included in the

plan so that things can get changed.