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Editor: Katerine G., Editor & Data Researcher · Research & publishing: Electric Consumer Editorial Team · Data retrieved · Sources named on this page: EIA-861, EIA retail sales, EIA-860/923, NREL PVWatts · How we got these numbers · Report an error

Solar in New Jersey: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity

54.0net-metered home systems per 1,000 accounts in New Jersey, EIA-861 2024, rank 9 of 51

New Jersey pays back in 10.0 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 10 of 51), 3.5 years shorter than the middle state. 1,324 kWh per kW (rank 35) at 22.63 ¢ (rank 11 from the top): price of power drives it. Across 5 New Jersey cities, yearly output runs from 1,251 kWh per kW in Phillipsburg to 1,371 in Vineland. May is the best month at 138 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 67. Utility-scale solar in New Jersey: 1,238 MW in 340 plants, 2.6% of 2025 generation; 84 MW more under construction or planned.

Net metering and CO2 in New Jersey

EIA-861 (2024): 201,596 home net-metered systems in New Jersey, 54.0 per 1,000 accounts (rank 9), average 7.4 kW.

6 kW in New Jersey: 7,942 kWh a year displaces 1.7 t CO2 at 0.212 kg per kWh, -1.3 t against the average state.

New Jersey: payback 10.0 years, rank 10 of 51

Solar measures for New Jersey
MeasureValueRank of 51Median state
Output of 1 kW a year, kWh1,324351,372
Home price, ¢ per kWh22.631115.37
Value of 1 kW a year$30010$222
Payback at $3.00 a watt10.0 years1013.5 years

EIA-861 (2024): 201,596 home net-metered systems in New Jersey, 54.0 per 1,000 accounts (rank 9), average 7.4 kW.

Utility-scale solar in New Jersey: 1,238 MW

New Jersey: 1,238 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 340 plants across 21 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 26 of 51; 134 W per resident, rank 40. Solar made 2.6% of New Jersey's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 31, -4.2 points against the national share. Biggest plants: EDF Ph1 Toms River in Ocean County, 21 MW (2021); Ben Moreell Solar Farm in Monmouth County, 20 MW (2020); Mount Olive Solar Farm in Morris County, 20 MW (2023). By county: Burlington 182 MW, Middlesex 143 MW, Monmouth 126 MW, Hunterdon 82 MW. Proposed: 77 MW under construction (22 plants) and 7 MW planned (2 plants); batteries 120 MW running and 23 MW proposed.

Utility-scale solar added in New Jersey by year
New Jersey yearMW addedCumulative share of today's MW
20191048%
20209716%
20215821%
20226726%
20237332%
20241834%
20255638%

Sizes and prices per watt in New Jersey

Systems of 4 to 12 kW in New Jersey
New Jersey kWkWh a yearValue a yearCost at $2.50At $3.00At $3.50t CO2
45,294$1,198$10,000$12,000$14,0001.1
67,942$1,797$15,000$18,000$21,0001.7
810,589$2,396$20,000$24,000$28,0002.2
1013,236$2,995$25,000$30,000$35,0002.8
1215,883$3,594$30,000$36,000$42,0003.4
Payback in New Jersey by price and retail share
New Jersey $ per watt100% retail75%50%25%
$2.006.78.913.426.7
$2.508.311.116.733.4
$3.0010.013.420.040.1
$3.5011.715.623.446.7
$4.0013.417.826.753.4

New Jersey: 1,324 kWh/kW × 22.63 ¢ = 300 a year per kW; the 30% column (7.0 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.

CSV

Sun inside New Jersey: 5 cities, 9% apart

Solar output in 5 cities of New Jersey
New Jersey citykWh per kW a yearAgainst state pointSun, kWh/m2 a dayPayback at $3.00Residents
Newark1,306-1.4%4.6610.2307,188
Trenton1,344+1.5%4.759.989,966
Vineland1,371+3.6%4.809.760,692
Long Branch1,357+2.5%4.719.832,184
Phillipsburg1,251-5.5%4.6110.615,251

New Jersey state point 40.47, -74.38; city points Newark 40.72, -74.17; Trenton 40.22, -74.76; Vineland 39.47, -75.00; Long Branch 40.30, -73.99; Phillipsburg 40.69, -75.18. Panel and method: solar method.

Output by month in New Jersey cities: 12 rows
New Jersey monthNewarkTrentonVinelandLong BranchPhillipsburg
Jan74.483.680.781.278.9
Feb91.691.789.5100.989.5
Mar114.4127.3124.8118.4109.7
Apr116.6134.6135.2123.5121.0
May134.5132.8135.5144.6132.6
Jun139.2136.6148.3136.3128.8
Jul137.9138.5153.3146.3133.5
Aug134.6125.5131.6138.8116.0
Sep115.1121.5111.0119.4109.1
Oct102.298.5101.699.190.5
Nov77.184.289.481.178.4
Dec67.968.770.667.362.6

New Jersey: 5 cities, best month 153 and worst 63 kWh per kW across them.

CSV

Best and worst month in New Jersey: May 138, Dec 67 kWh per kW

New Jersey output and value by month
New Jersey monthkWh per kWPrice ¢Value per kWkWh per kW per sun unit
Jan75.019.68$14.760.84
Feb96.919.70$19.090.82
Mar130.319.87$25.890.81
Apr116.520.15$23.470.77
May138.120.48$28.280.75
Jun135.724.88$33.760.74
Jul136.025.32$34.440.73
Aug129.724.95$32.360.73
Sep117.523.39$27.480.75
Oct95.522.55$21.540.78
Nov85.422.73$19.410.81
Dec67.122.98$15.420.84

New Jersey: December to February give 18% of a year (rank 25 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 2.1 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Jan (0.84) and lowest in Jul (0.73); PVWatts lowers cell output when the panel is hot, and the sun angle changes with the season. Our runs use one fixed 14% loss figure for every place, so snow or soiling in New Jersey is not modelled separately.

New Jersey utilities and solar payback

Solar payback by utility in New Jersey
New Jersey utilityHomesPrice ¢Value of 1 kWPayback at $3.00
Public Service Elec & Gas Co2,056,23119.81$26211.4 yr
Jersey Central Power & Lt Co1,038,25814.97$19815.1 yr
Atlantic City Electric Co506,48822.57$29910.0 yr
Rockland Electric Co66,36020.43$27011.1 yr
City of Vineland22,77417.84$23612.7 yr

New Jersey among its neighbours

Closest states to New Jersey
Closest to New JerseyPayback, yearskWh per kWPrice, ¢Utility-scale solar, points of generationMiles away
New Jersey (this page)10.01,32422.632.6-
New York-1.1-50+3.76+0.650
Delaware+2.6+60-5.50+0.597
Connecticut-2.1-41+6.75-1.1101
Pennsylvania+2.5-83-3.33-1.9130
Simple solar payback by state at $3.00 a wattNew Mexico: 11.2 yrTexas: 12.9 yrKentucky: 16.9 yrOhio: 14.2 yrGeorgia: 14.4 yrArkansas: 17.0 yrOregon: 17.3 yrPennsylvania: 12.5 yrMissouri: 16.0 yrNorth Carolina: 15.2 yrUtah: 14.9 yrVirginia: 14.6 yrWyoming: 14.5 yrWest Virginia: 16.2 yrNew York: 8.9 yrIndiana: 13.5 yrKansas: 13.9 yrIdaho: 18.5 yrNevada: 12.6 yrIllinois: 13.0 yrVermont: 10.7 yrNew Jersey: 10.0 yrMinnesota: 14.0 yrMaryland: 11.1 yrIowa: 15.9 yrHawaii: 4.3 yrNew Hampshire: 9.7 yrRhode Island: 7.9 yrConnecticut: 8.0 yrMontana: 17.6 yrArizona: 11.2 yrNebraska: 16.9 yrWashington: 21.6 yrSouth Dakota: 16.0 yrCalifornia: 5.5 yrAlabama: 13.5 yrWisconsin: 12.5 yrMississippi: 15.6 yrColorado: 12.3 yrOklahoma: 15.3 yrTennessee: 16.4 yrLouisiana: 16.1 yrMichigan: 11.7 yrMassachusetts: 7.7 yrFlorida: 12.7 yrAlaska: 11.3 yrNorth Dakota: 19.2 yrSouth Carolina: 13.7 yrMaine: 8.5 yrDelaware: 12.7 yrDistrict of Columbia: 9.8 yr

New Jersey against its neighbours in the payback ranking

  • -1 places, New Hampshire -0.3 years against New Jersey
  • +0 places, District of Columbia -0.2 years against New Jersey
  • New Jersey, rank 10: 10.0 years
  • +2 places, Vermont +0.7 years against New Jersey
  • +3 places, Maryland +1.1 years against New Jersey

Your numbers for New Jersey

    Limits in New Jersey

    New Jersey: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 7.0 years instead of 10.0, so the calculator starts at 0%. No New Jersey export rates in our data: output counts at 22.63 ¢. All limits.

    Sources for New Jersey

    More about New Jersey

    New Jersey electricity hub, New Jersey EV charging: 2,072 stations, where New Jersey ranks for rooftop solar, 10.0 years against 51 states, New Jersey calculators.

    Questions

    Net metering in New Jersey?

    201,596 systems, 54.0 per 1,000 accounts, rank 9.

    Solar payback in New Jersey?

    10.0 years at $3.00 a watt; 8.3 at $2.50; 11.7 at $3.50; 1,324 kWh per kW at 22.63 ¢.

    New Jersey utility-scale solar capacity?

    1,238 MW in 340 plants (EIA-860), 134 W per resident, rank 40; 84 MW proposed.

    New Jersey sunshine for solar panels?

    1,324 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 35 of 51; from 1,251 in Phillipsburg to 1,371 in Vineland.

    Where in New Jersey is solar best?

    Yes: 9% between Phillipsburg and Vineland in yearly output.

    New Jersey electricity from solar, what share?

    2.6% of 2025 net generation, rank 31 of 51, -4.2 points against the nation.

    Winter cut in New Jersey solar output?

    December to February give 18% of the year; May makes 138 kWh per kW and Dec 67.

    New Jersey pays half price for exports?

    Payback 20.0 years at a 50% retail share.

    CO2 displaced in New Jersey?

    1.7 t a year on 6 kW at 0.212 kg per kWh.

    Federal solar credit in New Jersey: still available?

    Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it New Jersey payback would be 7.0 years, not 10.0.

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    54.0 net-metered home systems per 1,000 accounts in New Jersey, EIA-861 2024, rank 9 of 51