• Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • RSS
  • Sign In
  • My Account
High-Profile MonthlyNew England Facilities Development News
  • All News
      • Up Front
      • Groundbreaking
      • Topping Off
      • Ribbon Cutting
      • View All Up Front Stories
      • Luis R. Frias IIFrias Named BPDA’s Director of DEI
      • Special Features
      • Contributor
      • Green
      • J.E.D.I.
      • Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing (MEP)
      • Vision
      • Women In Construction
      • Regions
      • Connecticut
      • Northern New England
      • Popular Sectors
      • Cannabis
      • Corporate
      • Education
      • Healthcare
      • Interiors
      • Landscape/Civil
      • Life Science
      • Multi Residential
      • Restoration/Renovation
      • Retail/Hospitality
      • Senior/Assisted Living
      • Technology & Innovation
      • Other News
      • Awards
      • Community
      • COVID-19
      • Mixed-use
      • Municipal
      • National/International
      • Organizations and Events
      • People
      • Philanthropy
      • Products and Services
      • Real Estate
      • Training and Recruitment
  • Subscribe
  • Membership
  • Next Issue
  • Archive
  • Advertise
  • Podcast
  • Events
    • Industry Events
    • A/E/C Associations
High-Profile Monthly
  • All News
      • Up Front
      • Groundbreaking
      • Topping Off
      • Ribbon Cutting
      • View All Up Front Stories
      • Luis R. Frias IIFrias Named BPDA’s Director of DEI
      • Special Features
      • Contributor
      • Green
      • J.E.D.I.
      • Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing (MEP)
      • Vision
      • Women In Construction
      • Regions
      • Connecticut
      • Northern New England
      • Popular Sectors
      • Cannabis
      • Corporate
      • Education
      • Healthcare
      • Interiors
      • Landscape/Civil
      • Life Science
      • Multi Residential
      • Restoration/Renovation
      • Retail/Hospitality
      • Senior/Assisted Living
      • Technology & Innovation
      • Other News
      • Awards
      • Community
      • COVID-19
      • Mixed-use
      • Municipal
      • National/International
      • Organizations and Events
      • People
      • Philanthropy
      • Products and Services
      • Real Estate
      • Training and Recruitment
  • Subscribe
  • Membership
  • Next Issue
  • Archive
  • Advertise
  • Podcast
  • Events
    • Industry Events
    • A/E/C Associations
Contributor • Green • Trends and Hot Topics

Keep Mass. Solar Industry Bright: State Legislature Urged to Pass Legislation to Lift Solar Net Metering Cap

December 28, 2015
Glenn Kingsbury, NECA Boston Chapter_PROOF

Glenn Kingsbury

by Glenn Kingsbury

The solar industry in Massachusetts, a bright source for the commonwealth’s economy for the past several years, is at risk of a dramatic downturn. The House and Senate are currently deadlocked on a bill that would raise the solar net metering cap and ensure that the solar industry remains a vibrant source of jobs and revenue for the industry and the state.

Amidst increasing solar industry support to raise the Massachusetts solar net metering cap, which has numerous projects stalled and thousands of jobs on hold, the House, Senate, and Governor Baker’s administration have filed separate pieces of legislation that would lift the state’s current cap.

The National Electrical Contractor’s Association’s (NECA’s) message to our legislators is clear: Massachusetts lawmakers must resolve the issue without delay. A viable solution to raise the solar net metering cap must be reached early in 2016. Major solar projects throughout the state, representing more than 12,000 electrical and solar industry jobs, are at stake. In fact, every day the legislature fails to raise the net metering cap, $3 million in private investment in Massachusetts’ solar industry and economy is on hold, as well as $1 million in federal solar investment credits. Currently, more than 48 megawatts of planned solar projects in National Grid’s territory in the state have been delayed because of the negative impact the solar cap has on responsible solar developers. The impasse in solar legislation is a major obstacle to solar development throughout the commonwealth.

Adding to the critical urgency of raising Massachusetts’ net metering cap is the fact that the federal Solar Investment Tax Credit program is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2016. This 30% federal tax credit on commercial and residential solar properties has helped solar installations grow by over 1,600% since it was implemented in 2006. Beginning in 2017, the commercial solar tax credit will drop to 10% and the residential credit will drop to zero, unless Congress extends the deadline or changes the “placed in service” aspect of the law to a “commence construction” provision.  

Massachusetts’ solar industry currently ranks sixth in the nation with 876 MW of solar installed, with a goal of reaching 1,600 MW by 2020. It has achieved its leadership in solar power without the solar net metering cap in place. The state must act responsibly, and with immediacy – raising the cap, so that the industry can remain a bright source for the Massachusetts economy and the electrical industry for years to come.

Glenn Kingsbury is executive manager for NECA Boston Chapter.

A green NECA P116 solar trends and hot topics
    FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmail

You may also like

Contributor • Senior/Assisted Living

A New Age, and Continuum of Care...

March 31, 2023
Contributor • Multi Residential

Closing The Homeownership Gap in...

March 30, 2023
Contributor • Senior/Assisted Living

Renovating Occupied Senior Living...

March 28, 2023
Green • Mixed-use

10 World Trade Claims Boston’s...

March 23, 2023
Contributor • Life Science • MEP

Developing a Quality Base Building...

March 23, 2023
Contributor • MEP

Sprinkler Design Challenges for...

March 22, 2023
Contributor • Education

Data and Demographics: Driving the...

March 8, 2023
Contributor • Education

2023 Update from SCUP North...

March 8, 2023

View the March 2023 issue!

Read HP’s 25th Anniversary Issue now!

Read the WIC 2023 Supplement!

Check out the 2022 Annual Green Supplement!

Read HP’s 2022 MEP issue!

Read our annual supplements!

  • Green2022.png
  • WIC2023.png
  • MEP2022.png
  • Vision-2019.png

HIGH-PROFILE MONTHLY
615 School St.
Pembroke, MA  02359
Phone: 781 294 4530
Fax:  781 293 5821
info@high-profile.com

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • My Account

Stay Informed

Sign up for Fast Facts Friday, our weekly e-newsletter, and stay up-to-date with the latest industry news!

Sign up
Subscribe to High-Profile Monthly to receive an email notice of each new article!
Loading

Copyright © 2023 High-Profile Monthly.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • RSS
  • Sign In
  • My Account