Massachusetts solar industry frustrated by legislative inaction

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The cap on net metering. is yet to be lifted in Massachusetts Source: Fotopedia

Legislative inaction on raising net metering caps has halted construction on more than 500 solar projects valued at US$617 million in Massachusetts, according to a new report.

Solar organisations are becoming increasingly agitated with the inaction on a bill that would lift the cap on net metering, despite two-thirds of the House of Representatives rallying to support legislation that would lift the cap earlier this month.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Without substantial backing from the Legislature, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), which authored the report, forecasts that the number of stalled or scrapped projects will only increase, together with the associated financial losses. Due to the bill still being in limbo, analysts at the SEIA and Vote Solar estimated losses to be at US$3.2 million in annual tax revenues.

According to a report released by SEIA earlier this month, Massachusetts has more than 464MW of solar already installed and is therefore a key contributor to the Massachusetts economy.

It has been a year since the National Grid hit its cap, with attempts to lift the cap being stalled due to deliberation over the size of the reimbursement due. Despite 100 state lawmakers sending a letter to the House leadership to lift the net metering caps at the current retail rate – which determines that for every dollar solar costs payers, it returns US$2.20 in benefits – no consensus has been reached.

The Massachusetts solar community continues to negotiate with state leaders with a view to an eventual rise on the net metering caps, and resumption of projects. 

21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

October 9, 2025
Entergy Arkansas has announced plans to build a 600MW solar-plus-storage project to support a new data centre to be built by Google.
October 9, 2025
Chinese inverter and storage manufacturer Sungrow has revealed details of its planned flotation on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
October 9, 2025
The retroactive collection of duties on historical solar imports to the US has been temporarily paused pending the outcome of an appeal.
October 8, 2025
US solar module prices jumped in Q3 2025 as developers scrambled to meet the 2 September 2025 safe harbour deadline for Investment Tax Credit (ITC) qualification, according to supply chain platform Anza.
October 8, 2025
Despite policy headwinds on the federal level, there is optimism for the future of the US solar and storage sector.
October 7, 2025
Solar PV will account for almost 80% of the 4.6TW of new renewable power expected to be added by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK