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Massachusetts doesn’t makeCNET’s list of states with the best incentives for solar panels.
Some of these Massachusetts solar panel incentives are easy to get, while others are remarkably complex.
Note: The solar incentives listed below are for residential electric customers in Massachusetts.
There are different solar incentives for utilities, businesses, schools and other organizations.
The incentives for solar panels are current as of November 5, 2024.
It also offers both sales tax and property tax exemptions forsolar panel installationsto all residents.
The credit includes both passive and active solar energy systems.
Taxpayers can only claim the credit for solar panels installed at their primary residence.
To claim the Massachusetts residential energy tax credit, fileSchedule ECwith your state tax return.
Massachusetts average property tax is 1.14%,according to the Tax Foundation.
Thesales tax exemption for solar panelsalso applies to wind turbines and heat pumps.
It replaced the state’s former solar renewable energy credit (SREC) program in 2018.
SMART is adeclining incentive, meaning that its value decreases as more participants join the program.
University of Massachusetts Amherst’sguide to using the SMART calculatorsis very helpful.
Incentive payments from the SMART program are currently scheduled to last for 10 years after installation of solar panels.
Applications for the MLP rebate are handled throughEnergy New England.
Here are the rebates for each of the participating MLPs, with links to the programs.
In return, participants get $275 per kW of electricity performed during those events.
You’ll need to have a qualifying inverter for your solar panel installation to work with ConnectedSolutions.
Residential solar panel installations up to 167 kW are eligible, as are all commercial installations of any size.
There is no expiration planned for the Concord solar panel rebate.
The municipal utility gives $0.60 per watt for solar panel installations up to a maximum of $6,000.
To be eligible, the solar panel installation must be approved for net metering.
The department pledged a total of $60,000 to fund solar panel rebates in 2023.
The utility gives $0.80 per watt up to 50% of the total installation cost.
Many of the municipal utilities also provide some sort of net metering for their customers, but not all.
Net metering in Massachusetts is compensated with billing credits that carry over from month to month.
There’s no process for paying out credits in cash at the end of the year, as inFlorida.
Whereas rooftop solar is available only to homeowners, both homeowners and renters can participate in community solar.
That’s about 17% of the state’stotal solar output.
Thestate’s official guide to solarsays that “residential solar PPAs are generally widely available.”
You’ll also get a fixed rate for electricity that won’t go up through the years.
FAQs
Is going solar worth it in Massachusetts?
It takes aboutsix to 12 years for solar panels to pay for themselveson average.
Do solar panels work in Massachusetts?
Solar panels are actually more efficient in colder weather and aren’t negatively affected by snow.
How do solar tax incentives work?
How does the federal solar tax credit work?
What is net metering for solar energy?
Utilities may pay for excess solar energy at their regular retail rate or a percentage of it.
Net metering is required by law for all in Massachusetts.
