Participation Guidelines and Evaluation Guidelines
The application process begins with an initial application and reservation request and ends with final project inspections and interconnection verifications. Project proposals are to be submitted during a 60 day window commencing with the issuance of the solicitation for proposals.
Prior to equipment installation:
- Participants must submit a completed New Jersey Clean Energy Program Pre-Installation Application Form and the appropriate Technical Worksheet to the Commercial & Industrial Market Manager. Applications will be evaluated on the basis of the criteria listed below in Evaluation Guidelines and given a filing date. If an application is deemed not complete for filing, the applicant will be notified and the new filing date will be when the Application is deemed complete for filing. Complete applications must be submitted within the 60 day window listed above. Upon review and approval of the Application, a commitment letter/letter of intent will be issued approving the eligibility of the system for an incentive and reserving the rebate.
- The Pre-Installation Application Form must include information demonstrating that the proposed system will meet all applicable technical and certification requirements as specified in the Technical Worksheet. Applicants must allow inspection of eligible systems prior to issuing the incentive. Each awarded project will be inspected by the Market Manager or a third party inspector contracted by the Market Manager. A field inspection report will be prepared and submitted to the Market Manager.
- Incentive dollars will be reserved based upon the date of the approved Pre-Installation Application Form.
- Funding will be reserved for 18 months from the date of the award letter; thereafter the Board may at its option cancel the funding. Any circumstances which will result in a delay past the 18 month timeframe must be reported to the Market Manager at least one month prior to the expiration of the funding award.
- Applicants must be contributors to the Societal Benefits Charge fund.
Evaluation Guidelines
Projects will be evaluated for funding according to the following criteria:
- System efficiency, environmental performance
- Projected system start up date
- Annual system utilization
- Local Marginal Pricing, as determined by the PJM interchange for the electric service area in which the project is located
- Islanding capability
- Smart Growth
- Emergency Management Center
- General Programmatic Goals will be considered
- Project clarity will be strongly considered
The NJ Board of Public Utilities, Office of Clean Energy, will also consider awarding funds to projects which are diversified in size and type of system and type of end user. If there is a tie in the above evaluation the following factors will be used as tiebreakers:
- The Locational Marginal Price as determined by the PJM Interchange for the electric service area in which the project is located;
- Inclusion of a project in an Emergency Management Center with islanding capability;
- Location within the State's Smart Growth districts.
Applicants will not be allowed to receive incentives for the installed generation equipment from other available NJ Board of Public Utilities, Office of Clean Energy funds.
Incentives will be awarded case-by-case. The NJ Board of Public Utilities, Office of Clean Energy has the right to change/modify or discontinue the program without notice. The program will cease when commitments exhaust allocated funding.
No one particular tier will get more than 50% of the available funding unless there are insufficient technically acceptable projects in other tiers. If this situation occurs, the technical evaluation will be performed by the Market Manager, who will, in consultation with the Office of Clean Energy, determine if a tier can exceed 50% of the funding.
Only CHP equipment installed on the customer side of the utility meter is eligible.
Equipment must be sized to serve all or a portion of the electrical load at the customer site.