Defining Solar's Value: A Stakeholders' Forum

Speakers include: 

Dr. Richard Perez, Senior Researcher at the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, SUNY Albany; and

Karl R. Rábago, Executive Director of the Pace Energy and Climate Center, Pace University School of Law

Admission is free; donations of $20/person are welcomed to defray expenses. Registration is required. Register here.

The solar community has approached the Massachusetts legislature with an urgent request for policy reform to be addressed this session. One part of our proposal is for lawmakers to lift or suspend the current caps on solar installations so that the state can sustain the solar market.

Another part of our proposal is for public agencies to complete a detailed and transparent analysis of solar generation’s benefits and costs, and how those can best be shared among stakeholders: solar system owners, ratepayers, solar developers and installers, environmental groups, low-income communities, and others. This analysis will be critical to developing a sound, long-term solar policy.

It will not be simple or straightforward to design and complete this analysis. There are numerous technical issues and policy goals that need to be measured and evaluated in order to achieve a comprehensive and balanced result. 

This forum will help participants understand these issues and engage them in clarifying the purpose, methods, and process for completing such a study. It will include time for open discussion and will run from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

The host organizations are SEBANE, the Solar Energy Business Association of New England, and NESEMC, the Northeast Solar Energy Market Coalition. SEBANE is a non-profit trade association of solar businesses, and a founding member of the NESEMC, which is funding a portion of the costs of this forum from a DOE Sun Shot Initiative grant. The forum sponsors are Cotuit Solar, New England Clean Energy, PV Squared, South Mountain Company, and SunPower.