June 2015

Solar panels deliver benefits to the electric grid and to society at large that are greater than the compensation their owners receive through net metering, according to a report released today by the Environment Massachusetts Research and Policy Center.

“Opponents of solar energy are trying to keep us in the dark, but today’s report will shed light on the truth about solar,” said Ben Hellerstein, State Director for Environment Massachusetts. “Solar is a good deal for our environment, our economy, and electric ratepayers across Massachusetts.”

In the mid to late 1990s, Massachusetts restructured its electric utility companies in order to create a competitive wholesale electricity market. Restructuring required the electric utility companies to sell all of their generation assets and prohibited them from owning any generation except in very limited circumstances. The end result was that the electric utility companies in Massachusetts no longer generated electricity — they simply delivered electricity to customers and were responsible for maintaining the wires and equipment needed to do so.