NJBPU awards community clean energy plan grants to 19 municipalities  

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on March 20 awarded grants to 19 municipalities as part of the Community Energy Plan Grant (CEPG) Program. Seventeen of the municipalities will receive the $10,000 award and two municipalities will receive the enhanced award of $25,000.

“Since its inception in 2019, the Clean Energy Plan Grant Program has issued grants to159 communities across New Jersey,” said NJBPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy. “CEPG is a great investment to help municipalities identify clean energy projects to help lower energy costs and benefit residents, especially those in overburdened communities.”

The CEPG program empowers local communities to create community energy plans that align with the State’s Energy Master Plan, which is the roadmap to achieving the state’s clean energy and emissions reductions goals. Municipalities may earn up to $25,000 to create localized community energy plans to combat climate change, with a specific focus on equitable access, energy resilience, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.

Municipalities that create a community energy plan will be prepared to apply for various NJCEP incentives.

“Sustainable Jersey is proud to serve as the technical assistance provider for the Community Energy Planning Grant program,” said Randall Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey. “It’s an honor to support municipal teams in planning actions that will reduce energy use and save money for the municipalities, while working toward making the goals outlined in the Energy Master Plan a reality.”

A previous award winner, the Borough of Madison, upgraded two historic municipal buildings, both more than 100 years old, with energy efficient HVAC equipment. Both buildings will be retrofitted with air-source heat pumps, one of which will replace an old gas-fired, steam heating system. The projects are examples of maintaining and preserving historic public buildings while improving efficiency and saving money for municipalities.

Administered by NJBPU’s Office of Clean Energy Equity, the CEPG program allows overburdened municipalities to be eligible for larger grants; while all towns are eligible for $10,000, those deemed overburdened are eligible for $25,000.

In partnership with NJBPU, Sustainable Jersey provides priority technical assistance to CEPG applicants, with a particular focus on overburdened municipalities, including preparation of applications and development of community energy plans.  Here is the list of communities that will be receiving awards: