Governor Baker signed H5060, An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind, into law, which doubles the size of residential solar installations that are eligible for the net metering program to 25 kW. The law also establishes incentives for pollinator-friendly community solar and commercial and industrial projects and creates a new council that will work toward improving the state’s transmission and distribution grid planning.
The legislation secures the state’s place among the top ten solar states in the country. Currently ranked ninth by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Massachusetts had over 3.6 GW installed through 2021, and over 400 businesses in the industry. This ranking is impressive considering it ranks 16 in population, has limited open land availability, and is in the lower half of the nation in terms of solar irradiance.
“Massachusetts just enacted groundbreaking climate legislation that will help the Commonwealth invest in the clean energy economy and decarbonize the grid,” said Valessa Souter-Kline, Northeast regional director for SEIA.
Sounter-Kline added that, “We are also excited to see the legislature codify incentives for pollinator-friendly solar projects and support the Commonwealth’s efforts to more thoughtfully consider grid modernization updates and the transmission planning process.”
For more on solar in Massachusetts, read “50 states of solar incentives: Massachusetts”.
