NJBPU Awards 16 Projects in Dual-Use Pilot Agrivoltaics Program

For Immediate Release:	Contact: Alonza Robertson
Date: 08/17/2026	609-913-6237

Projects to combine energy and agriculture to help New Jersey farmers and ratepayers

TRENTON, N.J. —August 17, 2026— The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) voted to award 16 projects totaling 52.06 megawatts (MW) in the first solicitation of its Dual-Use Pilot Agrivoltaics program. Established under the Dual-Use Solar Energy Act of 2021, the program is being implemented by NJBPU in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environmental Protection, the State Agriculture Development Committee, and Rutgers University’s Agrivoltaics Program.

“This pilot dual-use program will enable us to support New Jersey farmers in making their operations more profitable while adding capacity to the grid,” said NJBPU President Ben Hertz-Shargel. “It ensures farmland remains in active agricultural or horticultural production while enhancing the value of established farming practices. Combining that with new clean electric supply for the grid represents a true win-win for the Garden State.”

Often called agrivoltaics, dual-use solar places photovoltaic panels above or among crops, grazing areas, or other agricultural operations rather than removing farmland from production entirely. The 16 pilot projects, located on farms in Atlantic, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Salem, and Warren Counties (see list below), will pair solar generation with crops such as soybeans, hay, grains, vegetables, fruits, and specialty crops, as well as livestock production.

“The BPU dual use pilot program is a great opportunity to see grid scale projects working with and around active agriculture production,” said New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Ed Wengryn. “This Pilot can help agriculture and the solar energy industry learn if active agriculture use can be a renewable energy partner in shaping New Jersey’s future. Getting these projects operating is the best real-life laboratory to learn the challenges the two industries face.”

“When we passed the Dual-Use Solar Energy Act, this is exactly the progress we hoped to see: New Jersey farmers producing food and clean power on the same acre of land,” said Senator Bob Smith. “These 16 projects prove we don't have to choose between keeping farmland in active production and building the generation capacity our state needs – we can have both. Farmers have always been stewards of the land, and now they can help power New Jersey's clean-energy future while strengthening their own bottom line.”

Senator Andrew Zwicker said: “Agrivoltaics is the kind of evidence-based innovation New Jersey should be leading on – pairing solar generation with active farming so neither has to give ground to the other. As demand for electricity keeps climbing, we need solutions that add supply without asking ratepayers or farmers to bear the cost, and these 16 projects do exactly that. This pilot shows what's possible when good science and good policy work the same land together, and I'm eager to see those lessons scaled statewide.”

The pilot may support up to 200 MW over three years, with individual projects generally limited to a maximum size of 10 MW. Projects must be located on unpreserved farmland already in active agricultural or horticultural use, and eligible teams must include a landowner, farmer, and solar operator, with farmers participating meaningfully in project planning and operation.

The program received strong early interest: NJBPU’s first solicitation received 33 preliminary proposals totaling about 140 MW. Lessons from the full pilot will inform how New Jersey establishes a permanent agrivoltaics program.

More information on the Pilot Program may be found on New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program website at https://cleanenergy.nj.gov/programs/solar/dual-use-solar-energy-pilot-program.

Awarded Projects — Program Year 1, First Solicitation

1. FFP Origination, LLC — Salem County

2. FFP Origination, LLC — Warren County

3. NJ Solar 2000, LLC — Cumberland County

4. NJ Solar 2000, LLC — Monmouth County

5. FFP Origination, LLC — Gloucester County

6. FFP Origination, LLC — Mercer County

7. NJ Solar 2000, LLC — Salem County

8. NJ Solar 2000, LLC — Cumberland County

9. NJ Solar 2000, LLC — Cumberland County

10. NJ Solar 2000, LLC — Warren County

11. NJ Solar 2000, LLC — Cumberland County

12. FFP Origination, LLC — Salem County

13. NJ Solar 2000, LLC — Cumberland County

14. FFP Origination, LLC — Cumberland County

15. AETS Development Holdings, LLC — Atlantic County

16. FFP Origination, LLC — Hunterdon County

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.