Princeton’s ZERO Lab (Zero-carbon Energy System Research and Optimization Laboratory) recently analyzed New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan and presented their findings to the NJ Senate Environment and Energy Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Bob Smith.

Some key takeaways presented by Jesse D. Jenkins, assistant professor and macro-scale energy systems engineer with Princeton’s ZERO Lab:

• “…a transition to 100% carbon-free electricity is feasible”
• “…electricity demand could grow significantly, with total sales increasing by 70% and peak demand increasing by 85% as electrification of vehicles and buildings proceeds consistent with New Jersey’s economy-wide climate goals.”
• “…the lowest-cost pathway to a carbon-free electricity supply departs in important ways from New Jersey’s current approach to policy, which prioritizes in-state and distributed energy resources like rooftop and utility-scale solar, offshore wind, and our existing nuclear power plants.”
• “…the lowest cost strategy to reach 100% carbon-free electricity entails a significant increase in New Jersey’s dependence on imported electricity…and so make up around 2/3rds of New Jersey’s electricity supply by 2050 in our least-cost strategy.”
• “Smaller-scale distributed solar PV and offshore wind are costlier options.”
• “Modest expansion of gas-fired generating capacity through 2040 appears to be a robust strategy across all scenarios, providing additional firm capacity to meet increased peak demand from electrification…”
• “maintaining operations of the state’s three existing nuclear reactors (at Salem and Hope Creek stations) is consistently amongst the cheapest available options, along with further development of utility-scale solar PV.”

Thanks to Princeton’s ZERO lab, we now have a roadmap to an affordable, 100% carbon-free future. It remains to be seen if Trenton will listen or continue with the Energy Master Plan, a more expensive pathway to 2050.