State launches solar rebate program for customers of municipal light plants like Shrewsbury’s
By Elaine Thompson, Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted May 13, 2019
SHREWSBURY - Shrewsbury is one of 45 municipalities that will benefit from a new solar rebate program that will support residential and small commercial solar projects in the service territories of participating municipal light plants.
The Baker-Polito administration on Monday announced the awarding of $2.3 million for the program, which is funded by the Department of Energy Resources with a 50% cost share between Energy New England and the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co., who will administer the program
Customers served by municipal light plants do not contribute to the costs of, and therefore ineligible to participate in, the state’s new solar incentive program called Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target. In the transition from the Solar Renewable Energy Credit programs to the SMART program, the new rebate program provides a way for municipal light plant customers to reduce the cost of installing solar on their property.
The program requires municipal light plants to provide a 50% cost-share of the incentives directly to their residents. Depending on which municipality they live in, customers will be able to apply through ENE or MMWEC for rebates up to $1.20 per watt, capped at 50% of total project costs for projects equal to 25 kilowatts or less. The program will begin accepting applications next Monday.
Michael Hale, general manager of Shrewsbury Electric and Cable Operations, worked on developing the new program while he was chairman of the Municipal Electric Association of Massachusetts. MEAM which is composed of the 41 municipal light plants in the state. Some additional communities served by those light plants are eligible to participate in the program.
He said out of the $2.3 million, SELCO will receive $91,000 and SELCO will match that to provide a total of $182,000 over the course of the next year. The amount is enough to fund solar programs for 15 to 20 average size homes in town, he said.
As an example, based on the price of $1.20 per watt, the program will provide about $9,600 for installation of an 8-kilowatt system in a home, which is average in Shrewsbury, he said.
Jackie Pratt, SELCO’s marketing and customer care manager, said more information about the program will be posted on SELCO’s website. She commended Mr. Hale and other members of MEAM for their hard work to ensure municipal light customers are able to participate in the program similar to the SMART program.
“This is another example of how the municipal utility leadership really strives to make sure their customers get to participate in renewable energy programs,” Ms. Pratt said.
Other participating MMWEC members in Central Massachusetts include utilities in Ashburnham, Boylston, Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Sterling, Templeton, and West Boylston.