Governor Jon Corzine on Tuesday announced that the number of solar installations in New Jersey recently now totals over 4,000, with more than 90 megawatts of grid-tied solar panels installed statewide. Considering that the state counted only six solar installations in place in 2002, 4,000 is a considerable achievement. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

“Today New Jersey continues to be ahead of the curve on energy preservation, implementation of innovative approaches to energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources,” Governor Corzine said. “Our ‘world-class’ status is credited to our commitment to environmentally responsible action and competitive marketplace initiative.

“I also want to commend the BPU, the many representatives of environmental organizations, the solar industry, and the businesses and residents all across New Jersey who have been tireless advocates on behalf of solar development in our state and who share in this achievement,” added Governor Corzine.

As we reported a couple of weeks ago, NJ utility PSE&G recently announced plans to install solar panels atop 200,000 utility poles across the state. This begs the question: once that project is complete, will the new milestone be 204,000? In all seriousness, New Jersey is proving itself a serious solar contender. While it still lags behind California in terms of total grid-tied solar capacity, the state is solidly established in the number two spot, nationwide. As relayed by Solar Industry, Solar Energy Industries Asscociation head Rhone Resch offered glowing remarks for New Jersey’s 4,000th installation:

“By enacting policies like the state’s advanced renewable portfolio standard and strong incentives for solar, New Jersey has become the second largest market for solar in the country,” Rhone Resch, president and CEO of Solar Energy Industries Association, said in a congratulatory statement.

“In fact, New Jersey has more solar photovoltaic installations than Florida, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada combined, and is second only to California in total solar capacity,” Resch added.