Solar Incentive Program Deadline Extended to Oct. 31

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) CEO Alicia Barton and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Commissioner Mark Sylvia today announced extending the deadline of Round 1 of the Solarize Massachusetts Program (Solarize Mass®) to Oct. 31, citing high demand for the solar group buying program.

The program, originally scheduled to end Sept. 30, is designed to increase the adoption of solar energy and further reduce the overall cost of solar power by offering residents and businesses discounted pricing for solar.

The more people who sign up, the greater the savings are for everyone.

“For the third year in a row, we’re seeing residents and business owners flock to the Solarize Mass program, responding to the economic and environmental benefits solar electricity provide,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan.

To date, residents and businesses in the 10 participating communities – Bourne, Brookline, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Lee, Medford, Medway, Newton, Northampton and Williamstown – have signed 269 contracts for solar electricity systems with a capacity of 1.9 MW of clean, renewable energy.

“Extending the deadline will ensure everyone in these communities has the opportunity to take advantage of this program, which serves as a national model,” said Barton. “We’re pleased with the response so far and expect the number of signed contracts to increase dramatically during October.”

“This solar incentive program has driven the rapid growth of solar generation in Massachusetts. Programs like Solarize Mass bring that growth to the local level and make it more affordable for residents and businesses to adopt clean energy,” said Commissioner Sylvia. “This extension will allow more residents in these communities to get on board and join the tremendously successful clean energy revolution in Massachusetts.”

The installers participating in the Solarize Mass program –Cotuit Solar, E2 Solar, Real Goods Solar, Second Generation Energy, SolarFlair and SunBug Solar– have agreed to extend the program deadline by one month in all 10 communities.

Residents and businesses interested in participating should visit their community’s page at www.solarizemass.com for details on their local program.

In the first two years of the Solarize Mass program, 21 cities and towns participated in the program, contracting more than 900 solar electricity systems with more than 5.5 megawatts of solar energy capacity.

MassCEC and DOER recently announced they will be accepting applications from communities interested in participating in the next round of the Solarize Mass program. Communities looking for an application or more information can visit the program website.

Through programs like Solarize Mass, Massachusetts reached Governor Patrick’s ambitious goal of installing 250 megawatts of solar electricity capacity four years earlier than the 2017 deadline.

At an April event commemorating the achievement, Gov. Patrick announced a new goal of installing 1,600 megawatts of solar capacity by 2020. Once the goal is reached, solar electricity systems across the Commonwealth will generate enough electricity to power 240,000 average Massachusetts homes.

Clean energy jobs in Massachusetts have grown by 11.8 percent from 2012 to 2013, according to the 2013 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report.