Q&A

1. How is Built Environment defined? How do new land uses expand this?

The Built Environment is defined as “the surface of one or more existing, serviceable structures or serviceable, improved and impervious roadways built for a substantial purpose other than to facilitate solar development” (N.J.A.C. 14:8-1.2.). This project type may compete in Tranche 2.  For the third and now fourth CSI Program solicitations, the Board has not changed the definition of built environment; however, the Board has allowed three additional land uses to compete in Tranche 2 with built environment sites, on a project cost basis. These land use types are:

• Industrial and commercial complexes, which may have well-kept lawns and landscaped areas on which solar may be installed, ample parking areas and common roadways connecting buildings.
• Extractive mining sites, which include stone quarries, gravel, sand and clay pits. These sites are characterized by disturbed ground usually with depth, extractive machinery, buildings and roads for and with heavy equipment. While not considered part of the built environment, these sites do have disturbed or degraded areas where the installation of solar facilities would provide a positive environmental impact.
• Floating solar sites: The definitions for “industrial and commercial complexes” and “extractive mining” sites may be found in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Land Use/Land Cover classifications:  https://www.nj.gov/dep/gis/digidownload/metadata/lulc15/anderson2015.html

2. Can you provide guidance on siting restrictions for forested land?

The Board Order launching the CSI Program lays out the classification of forested lands, following NJDEP’s definition. For an area to fit the definition of forest, the area must be one acre or greater in area and have trees at a width of 120 ft. or more over a length of 363 ft.

In addition to not being forested currently, a site cannot have been forested in the past 10 years.

For support in identifying appropriate sites, please use DEP’s CSI Siting Tool: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/b51e0c139a9243e9ae9d8ead2866ce4f/page/Competitive-Solar-Incentive-(CSI)–Siting-Tool

3. How can I determine if my project is sited on one of these new site types, or if my project is sited on a prohibited land use type?

To assist in identifying sites optimal for solar developer as well as those sites that may be on a prohibited land use, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has created a New Jersey Solar Incentive Siting tool that includes an interactive web mapping application.  As shared in the previous question, the tool that incorporates the prohibited land uses under the CSI Program and may be found here https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/b51e0c139a9243e9ae9d8ead2866ce4f

See questions below in this section on the waiver process for prohibited site types.

For project-specific questions about land classification, please contact njcsi@daymarkea.com.

Applicants may be asked to provide additional site information to assist in land classification questions; please do so in a timely manner.

4. Does the preference score generated by the solar siting map carry any weight in our CSI application when being evaluated for an award?

It does not. The awards are based exclusively on the bid price. The siting preference score from the solar siting analysis tool tells you if the site has low environmental impacts and if it is a good site to consider siting on.

5. How can I determine if my CSI-eligible facility is located on prime soils or soils of statewide importance in agricultural development areas?

The New Jersey Solar Incentive Siting tool developed by the NJ DEP provides a data layer for state agricultural development areas.

6. What is the available acreage of covered agricultural land for this solicitation? How is the acreage calculated?

For the current round, the numbers are stated on this website. Appendix C of the Board Order launching the CSI Program lists how the available acreage is calculated for the 2.5% Statewide threshold and the county-by-county 5% development limit. A running total will not be calculated during the solicitation; following awards in this solicitation, available area totals will be updated before the next solicitation.

7. Will the agricultural land numbers change if a county decides to reduce their ADA acreage?

Yes, however, these numbers will only be updated between procurement rounds to reflect the latest ADA acreage.

8. Are you saying that the “Approximate Area Calculations” (which is about 7,000 acres for the Statewide Threshold) include the land that is already committed and/or used?

No. The  Approximate Area Calculations that are posted on the CSI website are the maximum acreages that would be available for siting of solar projects underneath the 2.5% statewide and 5% county thresholds.

9. The Order launching the CSI Program notes “that the definition of land subject to the per county limit includes the “unpreserved” qualifier, while the statewide restriction does not. Thus, the statewide cap is proposed to be calculated by looking at preserved and unpreserved farmland, while the per-county cap is proposed to be calculated on the basis of unpreserved farmland only.” What does this mean?

It means that, when calculating the Statewide limit, the 2.5 percent will be applied to all farmland, both preserved and unpreserved, while for calculation of the county concentration limit, the five percent will be applied to the unpreserved farmland only; preserved farmland is excluded from the calculation. This follows the statute. Prospective bidders must consider that the specific project does not exceed the numbers provided both Statewide and county limits. Note that the numbers have been updated for this solicitation to reflect recent changes in Land Use Land Cover data.

10. “Preserved” farmland is completely off-limits, correct? Is this part of the acreage total under the 2.5% statewide cap?

Both statements are correct. Preserved farmland cannot be built on, but it is included in determining 100% of “prime soils and soils of Statewide importance within ADAs” used for calculating the Statewide cap. In other words, raising the limit from 2.5% to 100% is not possible, since some of the 100% is prohibited outright. In considering placement of transmission and distribution infrastructure, developers should consider route of interconnection and whether there is preserved farmland in that path.

11. I don’t see anything about “preserved” farmland in the statewide methodology. And, in the county methodology, step 1 is to include “preserved” farmland and other excluded areas and step 2 is to “remove” it. Can you explain this further?

There is no specific step to account for preserved farmland in the methodology for calculating the Statewide limit, since Preserved farmland is not excluded. The exclusion of preserved farmland for the county-specific limit is what triggers the extra definition step.

12. Do agrivoltaic projects count towards the 2.5% statewide threshold?

The Siting Rules for Grid Supply and Large Net Metered Solar Facilities specify that “Facilities approved by the Board as dual-use solar facilities, in accordance with the provisions at N.J.S.A 48:3-87.13, will not be counted towards cumulative solar development.” (N.J.A.C. 14:8-12.4(d)). A link to the Siting Rules may be found on the “Documents” tab of csisolar.nj.gov.

The Board has recently launched the Dual-Use Solar Energy Pilot Program to study the co-benefits of farming and solar generation. More information on Dual-Use Solar Energy Pilot Program may be found on the Board’s Clean Energy website https://cleanenergy.nj.gov/programs/solar/dual-use-solar-energy-pilot-program. Interested parties are encouraged to subscribe to the Renewable Energy listserv.

13. Can you please confirm a waiver is not needed for prime agricultural soils in this fourth round?

As long as thresholds for covered agricultural land are not exceeded, a waiver is not needed for projects on prime agricultural soils. For more detail, see the discussion of “Solar on Agricultural Land” in the Board Order launching the CSI Program.

14. For projects seeking a Board waiver to site on prohibited land uses, when can we submit a petition?

The waiver process runs on a schedule that is independent of the CSI solicitation process. Waivers must be granted before a prequalification application is submitted, so it is advisable to submit a waiver petition as early as possible in the development process. Waivers for land use require Board determination issued by Board Order; projects proposed for the built environment may receive an administrative waiver from Board Staff. A petition for a waiver may be submitted at any time, through the Board’s website https://www.nj.gov/bpu/agenda/efiling/

15. What information should be submitted to support a petition for a land use waiver from the Board?

Petitioners for a land use waiver must provide sufficient evidence that a project serves the public interest, including documenting the specific facts and circumstances regarding the project (N.J.A.C. 14:8-12.6). petitioner may include: evidence of community support; approval(s) from an overseeing agency or body at the State or Federal level; considerations of alternative siting, compensatory mechanisms for any detrimental effects, and/or resiliency benefits to critical infrastructure, services or communities; a valid letter of interpretation or other determination of resource value classification; and/or considerations for and avoidance of the net loss of environmental resources. For a contaminated site or landfill sited on prohibited land uses, a petitioner may also include maps and/or details on the status of applicable compliance and/or remediation requirements.

For a previous example of an approved waiver, please reference Board Order, dated July 16^th 2025, addressing the petition of North Jersey District Water Supply Commission and Nexamp Solar, LLC for CSI eligible project.

16. Where can the pollinator standards, perJ. Admin. Code § 14:8-12.8(f), be found?

Pollinator standards are available on the Documents page of this website, as well as published by NJ Department of Environmental Protection at https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/cleanenergy/dep-solar-act-standards-pollinators-august-2023-final.pdf

 

1. When will the next solicitation window open?

The fourth CSI Program solicitation will open to prequalification applications on March 11, 2026 and close to bids on April 24, 2026.

2. Are there any changes for this solicitation?

Yes, take note of the following changes for the fourth solicitation:

1) the creation of a new Tranche 1A, Basic Grid Supply ≥ 20 MW with the same prequalification requirements as Tranche 1, but with a separate and distinct tranche capacity allocation;

2) the subsequent modification of Tranche 1 to Basic Grid Supply < 20 MW;

3) the maintenance of expanded Tranche 2 siting types (see Question 1 under Solar Siting and Land Use);

4) allowing Tranche 4 projects to compete in Tranche 5; and lastly

5) the waiving of the $1000/MW bid participation fee for projects that participated in the third solicitation with a substantially similar project.

3. What are the megawatt targets for this solicitation? Are all

The Megawatt targets for this solicitation are:

Tranche	Megawatt Target (dc)
1a. Basic Grid Supply ≥ 20 MW	120
1. Basic Grid Supply < 20 MW	75
2. Grid Supply on the Built Environment	25
3. Grid Supply on Contaminated Sites & Landfills	60
4. Net Metered Non-residential, > 5 MW	20
TOTAL	300
5. Storage Paired with Grid Supply Solar	160 MWh

All MWs referred to in CSI documents are DC, unless otherwise specified.

4. Does the BPU have the ability to go beyond the initial 300 MW target for the fourth solicitation, or beyond the targets for individual tranches?

Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.10(i), “If a final award cannot be made that will exactly meet a procurement target, the Board shall exercise its discretion in deciding whether to exceed the target if, in the Board’s judgment, the incremental project or projects will benefit New Jersey.”

5. When will the BPU announce the procurement targets for the next year’s (2027) solicitation?

For future solicitations, the Board aims to maintain a consistent prequalification window for all solicitations, opening in mid-February and closing mid-April, with procurement targets announced via Board Order to open the solicitation, and awards announced before the end of the energy year (May 31). Per statute, the Board aims to award an average of 300MW per year. 

6. Is there any data around MW cleared or insight around pricing based on previous years?

Publicly available data regarding SREC-II awards can be found in Board Orders announcing awards. Links to board orders are available on the “Documents” tab of csisolar.nj.gov In addition, you can find information about all solar projects that are installed or currently under development in New Jersey under Solar Activity Reports on the NJCEP website.

7. Is the CSI Program only for new projects, not existing projects?

The CSI Program is open to new facilities that have not yet commenced commercial operation or construction, and to facilities that were registered in either the TI or ADI Program but failed to commence commercial operation and/or submit the post-construction certification package by the expiration date.

N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.4(i) “The CSI Program shall only be open to new facilities that have not commenced commercial operation, unless the Board grants a waiver in response to a petition filed in accordance with the requirements at N.J.A.C. 14:1-1.2(b), and to facilities that were registered in either the TI or ADI Program, but failed to commence commercial operations and/or submit the post-construction certification package by the applicable expiration dates. If construction is commenced on a facility prior to receipt of conditional registration, such construction shall be undertaken at the risk of the party(ies) involved. Additionally, facilities seeking eligibility in the CSI Program that were not previously registered in the TI or ADI Program, must submit a registration and receive a notice of conditional registration, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.5(g), prior to beginning construction on the facility.”

8. It seems this program is intended more for utility-scale-size projects than Distributed Generation. Could you please confirm that?

Confirmed. CSI-eligible facilities include grid supply projects of any size and net metered non-residential projects greater than 5MW (dc). Projects not eligible to participate in the CSI Program may be eligible to apply for incentives under the Administratively Determined Incentive (ADI) Program, established as part of the Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) Program to support residential solar, smaller net metered projects, and community solar projects.

9. Can Remote Net Metering projects qualify for the CSI program?

Not at this time. The Board has recently updated the Remote Net Metering program pursuant to L. 2023, c. 190.   The Board’s rules currently allow remote net metered facilities up to 5 MW (dc) to receive incentives through the ADI Program.  It is possible that RNM projects greater than 5 MW may be eligible to participate in the CSI Program in the future.

10. Are there any opportunities for floating solar?

For the fourth CSI Solicitation, floating solar projects may compete in Tranche 2: Grid Supply on the Built Environment on a cost basis. No changes have been made to the definition of Built Environment.  The Board first made this determination in the Order dated April 23, 2025 which may be found on the “Documents” tab on csisolar.nj.gov

11. Has there been any consideration for giving floating solar its own tranche in the future?

For the fourth CSI Program solicitation, floating solar projects may compete in Tranche 2: Built Environment on a cost basis.  NB: The definition of Built Environment has not been changed. The Board may consider such a tranche in the future if the volume of floating solar projects and the data on such projects indicates that a separate tranche may be appropriate.

12. Will the Board continue to offer relief from the participation fee to projects that participated in the third solicitation but received no award?

Yes, for the fourth solicitation, the Board has waived the bid fee for developers who submitted into the third CSI solicitation (May – September 2025) a substantially similar project. To be considered substantially similar, the footprint of the second project must overlap the first.

13. If a project participates in a solicitation but does not receive an award, is it prohibited from participating in the following year’s ?

No, there is no such prohibition. Projects that do not receive an award may re-apply in a future solicitation without prejudice.

14. Can a bid be withdrawn from the solicitation?

A bid may be withdrawn at any time up until awards are made for the solicitation. If a project receives an award, the project may decline the award and withdraw the project before the close of the thirty (30) day registration window. A project that withdraws a bid will have no penalty and can participate in the next solicitation cycle. These conditions may be updated for subsequent solicitations.

15. If your project does not qualify due to timing issues of readiness, are there other programs available that can be applied for?

The CSI Program is New Jersey’s only program offering incentives to grid supply solar and large net metered non-residential projects greater than 5MW. The enabling statute provides that the CSI Program will award an average of 300MW per year. Projects that are not ready to apply to this round may apply in subsequent rounds.

16. Can we build a <5 MW system for incentive in the ADI Program, then later expand it to an 8 MW system, discard the first incentive and bid for a CSI incentive?

A net metered project registered in the ADI Program that failed to commence commercial operations and/or submit the post-construction certification package by the applicable expiration dates may withdraw their registration, expand the solar generation facility, and bid into the CSI Program as a net metered project greater than 5MW.

The project could also remain registered in ADI and bid any expanded capacity into CSI as a distinct project with a separate meter. The project cannot expand capacity as a new ADI facility, pursuant to co-location restrictions.

17. I have several net metered projects at one location that total to more than 5 MW of capacity. How can these participate in the CSI Program?

Yes, these projects can participate in the CSI Program, as long as they have not commenced construction or commercial operation and they comply with program rules, including N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.4 (g), which states that CSI is open to any “new net metered non-residential solar generation facilities greater than five megawatts (measured as the sum of the nameplate capacity in DC rating of all photovoltaic panels comprising the facility and any co-located facilities).”

18. Can we build a 6 MW system for incentive in the CSI Program, then later expand it to an 8 MW system, discard the first incentive and submit a new bid for a CSI incentive?

Generally, no. Once awarded, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.5(k), “facilities shall not be permitted to increase their generating capacity by more than 20 percent or 25 kWdc, whichever is smaller”. If an awarded project withdraws prior to expiration and reapplies, the project must be substantially the same. However, there is no prohibition against co-location, and additions to systems can be bid into subsequent rounds of the CSI Program, as long as they comply with the Program rules.

19. What are the restrictions around co-location of projects that qualify for the Board’s solar incentive programs?

While CSI does not have restrictions regarding co-location, other SuSI programs do have restrictions. To review those rules please refer to N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.4.

20. If a bidder has submitted to the dual-use program a proxy CSI value of $71 (as required by the dual-use program), and if they are in turn awarded an incentive adder through the dual-use program, will they also be awarded $64.71 through the CSI program? Or will they instead need to apply separately for awards through the CSI program?

The project would receive the total SREC-II value of the proxy and the adder combined. The project would not need to bid separately into the CSI Program.

21. How do you plan to approach the confidential price caps this time around?

The confidential price caps are confidential. The approach used for the fourth solicitation is described in the Board Order dated March 4, 2026. A link to the Order is available on the “Documents” tab of csisolar.nj.gov.

22. Are all Utilities in NJ participating in / subject to this program?

Yes.

23. Has the Program authorized the utility companies to accept interconnection applications?

The Board does not need to authorize the EDCs to accept interconnection applications, as they should accept applications on first-come, first-serve basis. The Board recently revised rules that instruct EDCs on appropriate timelines regarding interconnection. For further detail, please refer to N.J.A.C. 14:8-5.6. In instances that timelines are not being followed, please direct complaints through the interconnection complaint form: https://complaints.energyservices.trcsolutions.com/EDC/Complaint

1. Please expand on what “compete on price” means to the BPU for the ultimate awarding in these tranches.

In order to submit a bid, each project must have first been pre-qualified as eligible. N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.10(d).  Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.10(h), “Winning bids will be determined by ranking the offers on proposed price per SREC-II for Tranches 1, 2, 3, and 4, and on normalized storage bids for Tranche 5, and selecting the lowest-priced offers.”   In other words, for pre-qualified projects, awards will be made to the lowest bids under the price cap within each tranche until the capacity target is met.

2. What about price flexibility in the event of federal tax code changes?

We are well aware that there is uncertainty in the market right now around the federal tax code and what may happen. We encourage you to place your SREC-II bids based on what you believe your project will need. For projects that anticipate still receiving federal tax credits, please see recent guidance from the Internal Revenue Services, including Notice 2026-15.

3. When will we know if our bid has been selected for an award?

Awarded bids are announced via Board Order after the close of the solicitation. Staff will work to make these awards as soon as possible, and the timeline may be a few months.

4. Will winning bids be posted?

In the Board Order announcing awards, the following elements of winning bids will be made public: bidding party name, tranche, nameplate capacity (MWdc), bid price ($/MWh), and covered agricultural land acreage, along with information in regard to land use waivers and whether projects are given a public entity adder.

5. Will the registration form be available before the solicitation awards?

Yes, all required forms for registration are currently available in the “Forms and Resources for Awardees” section on the NJCEP Program website: https://cleanenergy.nj.gov/programs/solar/competitive-solicitation-incentive-csi-program. When registration opens after awards, the link to the registration portal will also be available on the website.

6. What information will be collected in the registration form?

The information collected will follow the registration requirements in the   adopted CSI Program Rules at N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.5. There is also a checklist of requirements on the registration portal.

7. Will the BPU allow for revisions to registration application if there are issues with the initial submission (i.e., clerical errors, unintentional misinterpretation of the requirements)?

Generally, yes. N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.5(f) defines minor and major deficiencies and outlines the process for curing minor deficiencies. Once notified, projects have seven (7) business days to cure any minor deficiencies. If the program administrator does not flag a deficiency and something needs to be addressed after registration, this will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

8. What is the difference between major and minor deficiencies?

For registration requirements, refer to the Major and Minor Deficiencies Document​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍​‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‍​‌‍‌​‌‌​​‍‍​​​​​​​​​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‍​‌‌​‍‌‌‍‌‌​‍​​​‌‍​‍‌‍‌​​‍‌​​​‌‍‌‌​‌​‍‌​‍‌​‌​​​‍​‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‌‍​‍​​​​‍​​‌​​‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​​‍​‍​‌‍​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‍‌‍‌‍​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍​‌‌‍‌​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌​​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍‌‍​‌‍​​‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‍​​​​​‍​​‌‍​​‍‌‌‍​​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍​‌‍‌‌​​​​‍​‌‍​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‍​‌​​‍​​​​​‍​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‍​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‌‍​‌​‌‌​​‍​​‍‌‍​‌​‍‌​‍​​‌​‌‍‌​​‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍​‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‍​‌‍‌​‌‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​​​​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‍​‌‌​‍‌‌‍‌‌​‍​​​‌‍​‍‌‍‌​​‍‌​​​‌‍‌‌​‌​‍‌​‍‌​‌​​​‍​‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‌‍​‍​​​​‍​​‌​​‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​​‍​‍​‌‍​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‍‌‍‌‍​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍​‌‌‍‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌​​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍‌‍​‌‍​​‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‍​​​​​‍​​‌‍​​‍‌‌‍​​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍​‌‍‌‌​​​​‍​‌‍​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‍​‌​​‍​​​​​‍​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‍​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‌‍​‌​‌‌​​‍​​‍‌‍​‌​‍‌​‍​​‌​‌‍‌​​‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​​‍​‍‌‌ on the NJCEP website and also N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.5(f).

For pre-qualification, if you submit within the guaranteed feedback window, the solicitation administrator will identify and notify you of deficiencies in your submission. An example of a minor deficiency would be failure to check a box. An example of a major deficiency would be the lack of a signature needed on a form. While it is possible to correct deficiencies within the solicitation period, there will no be longer an ability to correct after the April 24th bid submission deadline.

9. If a project were to receive an award in a previous solicitation round and is unable to meet registration requirements, can the project participate in the next solicitation?

Yes. If a project receives an award and is unable to meet registration requirements, the project may decline the award and withdraw the project before the close of the thirty (30) day registration window.  A project that withdraws a bid will have no penalty and can participate in the next solicitation cycle. These conditions may be updated for subsequent solicitations.

For projects that have registered and cannot meet the completion timeline, the project may withdraw and must wait at least one (1) CSI cycle after the expiration before rebidding with a substantially similar project, a requirement established in the Board Order launching the CSI Program.

However, by Board Order dated November 21, 2025, the Board relaxed this requirement for projects awarded in the third solicitation only that expected to qualify for the Investment Tax Credit (ITC). Projects must provide documentation demonstrating that changes in federal policy caused the loss of the ITC, and be approved by Staff, in order for the requirement to be waived. If an awarded project fails to conditionally register, the project may participate in the next solicitation cycle.

10. Are there obligations or rights on withdrawal or termination of a project from the program?

In the Board Order launching the CSI Program, the Board established a requirement that conditionally registered projects that miss their COD deadline and consequently expire, must wait at least one (1) CSI cycle after that expiration before rebidding with a substantially similar project. However, by Board Order dated November 21, 2025, the Board relaxed this requirement for projects awarded in the third solicitation only. Projects must provide documentation demonstrating that changes in federal policy caused the loss of the ITC, and be approved by Staff, in order for the requirement to be waived. If an awarded project fails to conditionally register, the project may participate in the next solicitation cycle.

11. When does the 3-year Commercial Operation Date (“COD”) clock start?

When a project has fulfilled all initial registration requirements, the project will receive a notice of conditional registration and become conditionally accepted into the Program. The 36-month expiration date will be indicated in the notice and is derived from the date of the notice.

However, for projects awarded in Solicitation 3, by Board Order dated March 4, 2026, the Board waived its rules at N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.5(g)(3) and granted projects 48 months to reach commercial operation.

12. What if the project doesn’t reach COD when the developer indicates?

Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.5(l), if a project fails to reach commercial operation by the registration expiration date, the project’s registration will be cancelled, and the project will lose its SREC-II award. The project will then be subject to the re-participation requirements described in Question 9.

13. Will the Board Order awarding incentives through the CSI program establish any additional requirements for the EDCs?

No. The requirement to purchase all SREC-IIs that will be generated is already in place, as set forth in the Solar Act of 2021 and codified at N.J.A.C. 14:8-2.3 and N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.8.

14. Are there obligations or restrictions on any of the energy, ancillary services, and capacity products that a generator could sell if it receives an award?

No. There are no obligations or restrictions on the sale of these products.

15. If a project is sold after it receives an award but before COD, does the award go away? What about after COD?

The award will remain in place if ownership of the project changes. This applies to ownership changes both before COD and after. Changes in ownership will have to be submitted to the program administrator and/or SREC-II administrator as applicable.

16. Are there penalties if the finished project isn’t as large as proposed in the bid submission?

In the case of solar projects, no. However, SREC-II payments will only be made based on actual MWh generated. For storage projects for which the ratio of storage to solar capacity is reduced from the bid, the awarded adder will be adjusted down proportional to the reduction in relative capacity.

17. Regarding the site plan requirements for pre-qualification and conditional registration: during the allotted 36 months between conditional registration and permission to operate, can you confirm that changes are permitted to the site design that do not impact the general footprint or project size? For example, reconfiguration of arrays, access roads, landscaping, etc. Ongoing changes to design and/or equipment are common throughout the development and permitting process.

Yes. The long timeframe will lend to optimization of design and the types of changes itemized above are permitted, but general site design and footprint that are submitted are locked.

18. How can bidders be assured that the term of their winning bid will not be changed over the 15-year period?

The Board makes these awards by Order, and the lifetime of the award is guaranteed by the Board. The Board has maintained the current fifteen-year qualification life for approximately twenty years, through the legacy SRP, the TI Program, and now the SuSI Program. Moreover, once an award is made, there is no precedent for its qualification life being shortened, nor of an award being terminated without cause.

1. Can you confirm that we first submit a prequalification application and then a bid? Will we receive confirmation that the project is prequalified? How soon after prequalification are we able to bid?

Every project must first submit a prequalification application, and once you have received your Project ID and are satisfied with your application, you may submit a bid. For the fourth solicitation, the deadline for guaranteed feedback on your prequalification application is March 27, 2026. If submitted by this date, we will review and notify you by April 13, 2026 whether your application prequalifies – if it does not, you will be given feedback as to what parts of your application were deficient and given a link to edit your application. You must submit a bid before the solicitation window closes.

If you miss the deadline for guaranteed feedback, you may still submit a bid within the solicitation window; however, it is possible that your project will not pre-qualify. Developers will also have the opportunity to schedule a meeting with the solicitation administrator to address any questions or concerns with the prequalification application and bid process. Please allow up to one week to arrange for a mutually convenient meeting time.

2. Can you clarify the pre-qualification date?

See previous question. Bidders may submit bids until the close of the solicitation window on April 24, 2026; however, bidders who submit prequalification information by March 27, 2026 will be guaranteed that their applications will be reviewed for deficiencies and provided feedback by April 13, 2026 and that they will be given the opportunity to cure these deficiencies prior to the final bid deadline. Bidders who submit their prequalification information closer to the final bid deadline may not have time to cure deficiencies and may not successfully prequalify to bid. After the final bid deadline, no changes to bids or prequalification information will be accepted.

3. In the form, it asks for the Bidder Name. Should we enter the Project Entity that is bidding or the individual that is filling out the form?

The requested contact information, including name and position title, is for the person submitting the form so that we know to whom to direct our correspondence. We have added a separate question that asks for the project entity to avoid confusion.

4. We don’t have addresses for a number of our projects. Should we just use our company address?

The intent is to have a location for the project. Coordinates of the proposed project may also be provided in the application as an alternative to an address. If there is no full address, the town and “close to XYZ Road” or something of that nature is better than the company address.

5. In the Pre-Qualification section of the portal, what information is the BPU looking for in the “Project Description” box?

The description box of the application is requesting a brief overview of your project. Since many of the project’s aspects are captured throughout the application, it needn’t be extremely detailed. You may also use this field to include details that might not have been captured in the other portions of the application, but that might add clarity in understanding your project.

6. Please confirm the minimum interconnection requirement for projects connecting to the transmission system to participate.

All participants in the CSI Program must submit documentation demonstrating sufficient project maturity. Projects in the Expedited Process of PJM’s interconnection process may use PJM’s Feasibility Study as a maturity marker. Projects in Transition Cycles 1 or 2 of the PJM interconnection process may submit a completed Phase 1 System Impact Study (“SIS”) as the accepted maturity marker. No preference is given to projects with more mature interconnection queue positions, as long as the minimum requirement is met.

7. What is required for prequalification for those projects wishing to connect at the distribution level?

Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.10, such projects must provide “written authorization from the EDC providing conditional approval to construct.”  This means that projects must provide an agreement granting conditional approval, which could either be a facilities study agreement (N.J.A.C. 14:8-5.6 (q)), an agreement stating that a facilities study is not required, or equivalent. In the case that a system impact study has been completed, it should be submitted as well (N.J.A.C. 14:8-5.6 (n)). No preference is given to projects with more mature interconnection queue positions, as long as the minimum requirement is met. Note that this information is also required for registration in the program for those projects that receive an award.

8. Can there be discrepancies between MW capacity of interconnection agreement and what’s bid? Can a submitted project be less than what is in the interconnection agreement?

Since interconnection agreements are commonly in MW (ac) and the Board’s awards are in MW (dc), the solicitation administrator may reach out to clarify any discrepancies between the MW capacity in the interconnection agreement and the MW capacity bid.

Generally, the Board’s rules state that a project cannot significantly increase the capacity once they are bid and registered.  See N.J.A.C. 14:8-11.5(k). Nor may a project bid for a capacity that is higher than the capacity in the interconnection agreement. However, the project can decrease capacity or submit a bid for a lower capacity than that in the interconnection agreement. In any case, the NJ SREC-IIs will be paid on a dollar per megawatt hour ($/MW-hour) basis for solar electricity generated during each year of the facility’s 15-year NJ SREC-II qualification life. 

9. What are the accepted file types for shape files?

Please upload a .zip file from your project, which should include, at a minimum, the .shp, .shx, .dbf, and .prj components of the shapefile. A shapefile with polygons outlining the development area is preferred, but other spatial files such as .kmz can be uploaded as an alternative.

10. How should we represent our project geospatially?

The best way to represent your project would be by using a polygon that encompasses the proposed development area, which should correspond to your proposed acreage for development inputs into the prequalification form. If there is a disconnect between our acreage evaluation and your inputs, we will need to rectify those before approving your prequalification application.

11. If Tranche 5 is selected, will the application process lead you to fill in a Tranche 1 bid as well, per the rules of the order?

If you select Tranche 5 (for storage), you will not be able to submit the form without also filling in the required information for a solar generation project. Previously, a storage bid in Tranche 5 could be paired with a bid in Tranches 1, 2, or 3.  For Solicitation 4, the Board has waived its rules to also allow Tranche 4 projects to compete in Tranche 5.

12. Can I save and return to my form later?

Yes, for both the prequalification application and bid submission, there is an option to save and return later. If you select ‘save’, you will receive an email with a link to continue your saved form.

13. Can someone else finish my form?

Anyone who has access to the edit link may return and complete the form.

14. What if the individual submitting the bid is not an authorized signatory for the bidder — is there another way to provide signature?

Yes. There is an option to print and sign a paper form and attach an image of the form as an electronic file.

15. Is the application fee $1,000/MW AC or DC?

It is $1,000/MW DC.

16. The application fee has been identified to be “free” for public projects. Does that include power purchase agreement projects on state / county / municipal land in which the developer is receiving the incentive as part of the PPA?

Yes. To qualify for the exemption of the application fee, a project built on state / county / municipal land that benefits a public entity will need to show proof of this through a letter on official stationery of the public agency under signature of a bona fide officer, elected official, or employee of the public entity attesting to the status of the public entity.  The identity of the incentive recipient is irrelevant to the determination of whether the application fee may be waived.

17. If we pre-qualified last solicitation and didn’t make any project changes, will we pre-qualify this time? Did any of the prequalification rules change?

Your project will likely still pre-qualify, but you will still need to submit a pre-qualification application prior to submitting a bid to receive a new Project ID for the fourth solicitation.

18. What if we can’t find our project ID from the solicitation?

Please reach out to us at njcsi@daymarkea.com; we should be able to locate the ID for you.

19. If we drop the storage component from our prior bid, can we still use the same ID number to identify our first solicitation project?

Yes, regardless of major or minor changes in the project, please refer to the same ID number. However, once you submit your pre-qualification application, you should refer to the newly generated ID upon submission of the new bid, not the ID from the first solicitation.

20. Does the NJCEP publish the current wholesale rate of electricity that a CSI project would be eligible for?  Is there a link that you can provide to a website that would provide this information so that we can determine the revenue the project will generate?

BPU does not publish the wholesale rate.  Wholesale electricity prices vary by hour and location and can be difficult to predict. Developers will need to calculate their own wholesale revenue projections; we recommend they utilize information like that available on the website of the Regional Transmission Operator, PJM, LLC at https://www.pjm.com/markets-and-operations/energy.aspx.