52:27D-141.2 Findings, declarations relative to solar energy systems.

2. The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. New Jersey residents primarily rely on fossil fuels for their energy needs;

b. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable fuels since they are derived from finite resources that will inevitably dwindle over time, becoming too expensive or too environmentally damaging to extract;

c. Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy sources have minimal environmental impact since, for example, energy produced from photovoltaic cells does not result in air or water pollution, deplete natural resources, or endanger animal and human health;

d. The use of renewable energy equipment also reduces the nation's dependency on foreign sources of energy, which is an important strategy in the process of creating a secure and sustainable energy future;

e. The use of renewable energy technology would benefit New Jersey's economy since jobs evolve directly from the manufacture, design, installation, service and repair, and marketing of renewable energy products;

f. The State has adopted a renewable energy portfolio standard that requires twenty percent of the State's electricity demand to be produced from renewable sources by the year 2020, and requires a specific percentage of these renewable energy sources to be from solar photovoltaic systems;

g. Generating electricity from solar energy reduces consumption of fossil fuels, which decreases pollution and greenhouse gas emissions; and

h. The installation of even small scale solar energy systems will combat global warming and reduce the nation's dependence on foreign energy sources, resulting in a significant environmental benefit.

L.2009, c.33, s.2.