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BY BOB HOLT
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
New Jersey is now brighter than the West Coast in more ways than one.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the solar market in New Jersey jumped 170% from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2011. New Jersey’s photovoltaic installations now account for 24% of those in the United States. California accounts for 94 megawatts of installed capacity in the second quarter, compared to 75.7 megawatts installed capacity in New Jersey. But California’s market share dropped to 30% in the quarter while New Jersey’s moved up to 24%.
“The U.S. solar industry continues to be one of the fastest growing in America,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of SEIA, according to Clean Technica. “More than 100,000 Americans are employed in solar.”
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New Jersey solar energy installations reached record numbers
But unless New Jersey changes the way the industry is financed, the state’s lead will never hold up, according to Lyle Rawlings, founder and president of the Mid-Atlantic Solar Energy Industries Association. He told the Courier Post, “The Christie administration sounds interested in solar and maintaining all the jobs, but his energy plan gives a different impression.”
A change in New Jersey’s energy master plan has reduced the amount of energy generated from alternative sources from 30 percent to 22.5 percent by 2025.
