Murphy Signs Energy Bills Aimed at Lowering Costs, Expanding Solar Access
The measures — one focused on large-scale energy storage and the other on expanding community solar — are designed to strengthen grid reliability while cutting reliance on fossil fuels.
TRENTON — Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday, August 22, 2025 signed two Assembly-backed bills intended to boost New Jersey’s energy supply, expand access to renewable power, and reduce long-term utility costs for residents and businesses.
The measures — one focused on large-scale energy storage and the other on expanding community solar — are designed to strengthen grid reliability while cutting reliance on fossil fuels.
Assembly Bill 5267, sponsored by Assemblymen Wayne P. DeAngelo, Dave Bailey Jr., and Kevin Egan, directs the state Board of Public Utilities to procure at least 1,000 megawatts of transmission-scale energy storage. The technology will allow New Jersey to store electricity generated during off-peak hours and release it when demand rises.
“Energy storage is a necessary tool in balancing supply and demand, lowering costs, and increasing renewable energy projects,” DeAngelo (D-Mercer, Middlesex) said.
Mark Tyler
Bailey (D-Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland) called storage projects “one of the smartest ways to reduce costs for consumers,” while Egan (D-Middlesex, Somerset) said the law would help stabilize the grid against market and climate unpredictability.
The second measure, Assembly Bill 5768, expands the state’s Community Solar Energy Program by removing the previous 150 MW annual cap and directing the BPU to register an additional 3,000 MW of projects. That change will allow more households to subscribe to solar energy without installing panels on their own property.
Assemblywoman Luanne Peterpaul (D-Monmouth) said the expansion builds on a program that has already delivered millions of dollars in savings for participants. Co-sponsor Assemblywoman Margie Donlon (D-Monmouth) added that the law would “bring rate relief to working families.”
Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak (D-Middlesex) noted the timing of the bill’s passage, coming just weeks after the federal Solar for All program ended. “Solar technology has stood the test of time and will play a crucial role in reaching our energy goals in New Jersey,” he said.
State officials have said the two new laws combined will add thousands of megawatts to the grid and help keep electricity affordable for New Jersey ratepayers.
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