Massachusetts' New $68M Solar Initiative

The solar industry is receiving generous support in Massachusetts thanks to a new program announced today, called the Commonwealth Solar Initiative (CSI).

The initiative aims to accelerate the pace of solar electricity photovoltaic installations in the state and provide the PV industry with a predictable set of incentives over the next few years.

The $68 million program, created by the administration of Governor Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), will support PV installations in Massachusetts over the next four years with $40 million in funds from the Renewable Energy Trust and $28 million from Alternative Compliance Payment funds.

The state estimates the initiative will result in 27 megawatts (MW) of additional installations over the next four years.

CSI will be available to residential and non-residential customers on a rolling basis that is similar to MTC’s current Small Renewables Initiative. The non-competitive rebate program will simplify the state’s PV initiatives by combining most of MTC’s PV-related initiatives into a single application process.