Electrification with Equity, Part 1: The Opportunity for Behind-the-Meter Solar and Storage in Massachusetts

To meet its emissions reduction targets and decarbonization goals, Massachusetts – like many states – is working towards the electrification of its building and transportation sectors. While this will help reduce air pollution, it will also increase the region’s electric demand, which could lead to a new round of investment in fossil fuel generation. This report evaluates the opportunity for distributed solar and solar+storage to offset forecasted peak demand growth that will result from electrification in Massachusetts.

This report is the first in a two-part series. Part 2, “Electrification with Equity, Part 2: Scaling Behind-The-Meter Solar+Storage in Massachusetts Environmental Justice Neighborhoods,” identifies barriers to solar and storage adoption in Massachusetts environmental justice neighborhoods and advances recommendations to address these barriers through revisions to the Commonwealth’s existing programs and policies.