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A Lump of Coal - Solar Capped in Unitil Territory

December 28, 2015

The Massachusetts legislature ended the year with a flurry of last minute activity – but ended up taking no action to lift the net metering caps - leaving over 132 MW of solar projects on hold. To put that number into context – that is roughly half of all the solar projects installed in the Commonwealth during the entire year of 2014.

Congress extends federal tax credit for solar

December 21, 2015

Christmas came early for the solar industry on Friday when Congress voted to extend the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC).  The ITC is a 30 percent tax credit for solar systems on residential (under Section 25D) and commercial (under Section 48) properties.

California affirms retail net metering fair payment for solar

December 18, 2015

The California Public Utilities Commission ("CPUC") released a Proposed Decision on Tuesday, which outlines a set of reforms for net metering.  Critically, the Decision, which is the result of a thorough Commission-led stakeholder process, affirms that net metering with full retail credit is the fair and balanced path forward for California energy consumers.

Massachusetts Solar Loan Program Now Open

December 17, 2015

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) are today announced the launch of the long-awaited Mass Solar Loan program.

Thoughts from Paris

December 13, 2015

The historic climate agreement reached at the Paris summit Saturday commits virtually every nation to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.

“This agreement, your agreement, is not an end in itself,” French President Francois Hollande said at the closing session of the summit. “It is only the beginning.”

“This didn’t save the planet,” Bill McKibben, the co-founder of 350.org, said of the agreement. “But it may have saved the chance of saving the planet.”

The Energy Revolution: Budgeting Carbon for the Climate

November 30, 2015

Climate change requires urgent action. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the planet has a carbon budget of 1,000 gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2 starting from now. If we want to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we have to stay within this budget.

Net metering is not a subsidy

November 24, 2015

CONTRARY TO UTILITY ASSERTIONS, net metering is not a subsidy.  It’s mechanism  that allows solar owners to receive credit, similar to rollover minutes on a cell phone plan, for power they feed into the grid.

Talking to our Elected Leaders about Solar

November 21, 2015
A number of folks have asked - What do I say to my representatives when they aren't sure whose numbers to trust, utility numbers or the solar industry numbers? 

You might remind your rep that the legislature formed a net metering task force that commissioned an independent study of the costs and benefits of solar.  That independent assessment concluded that for every dollar invested in solar, solar provided $2.20 to $2.70 in benefits to the commonwealth at large. 

Senate saves solar from House bill, but net metering caps remain in place

November 20, 2015

The legislature adjourned on Wednesday evening without agreeing to compromise solar legislation.  This is both good news and bad news. The good news is that the extreme policy measures in the House bill won’t become law any time soon.  The bad news is that net metering caps remain in place and will continue to prevent projects from moving forward in

Shocking Solar Bill Would Kill Massachusetts Solar Industry

November 17, 2015

The Massachusetts House passed a solar energy bill (H.3854/S.1979) tonight that will effectively eliminate the Massachusetts solar industry. It is now up to the Senate to suggest an alternate path that will support a vibrant solar economy. 

MassSolar strongly opposes the bill passed by the House and is working with legislators in the House and Senate to develop alternative solar policies that would foster the long-term, vibrant growth of solar in the Commonwealth.

House Bill 3854 / Senate Bill 1979

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