You may have heard that switching to solar can lower your electric bill – but what if you rent, live in a condo, have a shaded roof, or simply don’t want to install solar panels on your home?
That’s where community solar comes in. New Jersey’s Community Solar Energy Program allows residents to benefit from locally generated solar energy without installing anything on their property.
The result? Cleaner energy, no equipment to maintain at home, and guaranteed savings on your electric bill.
What Is Community Solar?
Instead of putting solar panels on hundreds of individual homes, a community solar project installs a larger solar array at a centralized off-site location – often on commercial rooftops, warehouses, or brownfields, that would otherwise go unused.
Residents “subscribe” to a share of that solar project. The electricity generated goes into the electric grid, and subscribers receive a bill credit based on their share of the project’s production. You still receive electricity through your existing utility and get your regular bill. The key difference is that your bill now includes community solar credits that lower your overall cost.
Community solar also helps add more renewable electricity to New Jersey’s electric grid and reduce reliance on fossil-fuel generation.
So How Do You Actually Save Money?
You pay the community solar provider a discounted rate for your share of credits – and that discount is where the savings come from.
For example, imagine your subscription generates $100 worth of utility bill credits in a month, and your provider offers a 20% discount:
- Solar Credit Applied to Utility Bill: $100
- Amount Paid for the Community Solar Subscription: $80
- Net Monthly Savings: $20
You come out $20 ahead!
No equipment to buy. No installation. No sign-up or cancellation fees under New Jersey’s current program. And the solar credit and subscription charge can be incorporated directly into the utility bill.
According to New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program, discount rates can range depending on the project, subscription, and utility territory. But every subscriber is guaranteed net savings, with additional protections and savings opportunities available for qualifying low- and moderate-income households.
What Does This Look Like on a Real Electric Bill?
Here is an actual breakdown from a Sustainable South Jersey community solar participant:
Electricity used: 791 kWh Community solar credit applied: 499 kWh
Value of community solar credit: $129.98 Community solar subscription charge: $89.66
Net savings: $40.32
| $129.98 solar credit − $89.66 subscription charge = $40.32 saved |
Note: The amount of solar energy credited in a single month cannot exceed your applicable electricity usage. Excess allocated energy may carry forward to future months according to program and utility rules.
Is Community Solar Right for You?
One of the biggest advantages of community solar is that you do not need to own a home or have a solar-ready roof. Both homeowners and renters can participate.
Community solar may be a great fit if you:
- Rent your home or apartment
- Live in a townhouse or condo
- Have heavy shade over your roof
- Have an older roof that isn’t structurally right for solar
- Want to avoid purchasing or financing rooftop solar panels
- Want an easy way to support local clean energy
- Want to save on your monthly electric bills
Availability depends on your electric utility territory and remaining project capacity.
Common Questions
Do I need to switch utility companies?
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- No. You keep your current utility and still get your regular bill – it will just include community solar credits.
Are there sign-up or cancellation fees?
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- No, not under New Jersey’s current community solar program.
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Do I need to install anything at my house?
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- No equipment, no installation. The solar array is installed off-site.
What if I use less electricity than my credit in a given month?
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- Your credit can’t exceed your actual usage for the month. Any extra rolls forward to future billing periods.
How to Sign Up
Sustainable South Jersey has partnered with Solar Landscape, a New Jersey community solar provider that builds projects across the state, to help local residents enroll.
To check availability for your home:
- Visit the Sustainable South Jersey Community Solar page.
- Click the link to access the Solar Landscape enrollment portal.
- Enter your address and utility information to check availability.
- Use referral code: SSJ
When you enroll using code SSJ, Solar Landscape makes a donation to Sustainable South Jersey to support our nonprofit’s environmental education and community sustainability programs – at no additional cost to you.
Rooftop solar isn’t practical for everyone. Community solar gives New Jersey residents another way in – lower electricity costs, more clean energy on the grid, no panels required.
Note: All information is accurate as of August 2026