The Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC), on May 13 said that it is partnering with the state Department of Energy Resources (DOER) in offering a new solar incentive program for customers of public power utilities.
MMWEC said its staff assisted the Municipal Electric Association of Massachusetts in developing the program, which succeeds the state’s now closed SREC II solar incentive program.
MMWEC noted that the new municipal light plant solar incentive program is exclusively for public power utility customers.
MMWEC was awarded $772,200 by DOER on behalf of its participating members to administer the program. Participating utilities have varying levels of funds available for rebates.
Seventeen MMWEC members have signed on to participate, which will run through April 30, 2021 or until funds are exhausted. Applications will be accepted for the program beginning on May 20, 2019 and can be submitted through March 30, 2020.
The incentive program includes a solar rebate of up to $1.20/watt, capped at 50% of total costs. Municipal light plants will contribute 60 cents per watt or 50%, and DOER will contribute 60 cents per watt, or 50%. Eligible solar installations must be 25 kilowatts or less, but individual participating public power utilities may have stricter eligibility criteria.
Public power utilities participating in the program will retire all renewable energy credits associated with the projects’ output.
Participating MMWEC members include utilities in Ashburnham, Boylston, Chicopee, Groton, Holden, Ipswich, Mansfield, Marblehead, Paxton, Peabody, Princeton, Shrewsbury, South Hadley, Sterling, Templeton, Wakefield and West Boylston.
MMWEC noted that customers of investor-owned utilities are eligible for the state’s new SMART solar incentive program.
MMWEC offers a variety of power supply, financial, risk management and other services to public power utilities in Massachusetts.
