Massachusetts Technical Potential of Solar
An analysis of solar potential and siting suitability in the Commonwealth
In 2022, Climable collaborated with Synapse Energy Economics on a research study that estimated the total amount of solar that could be built in Massachusetts (MA) based on current physical conditions. Climable supported the project by collecting opinions and concerns of residents and other stakeholders in MA regarding solar development.
The project was completed for the MA Department of Energy Resources (DOER). The final report, which can be read here, serves as a tool for policymakers and other decision-makers to support the state’s clean energy goals. To meet these goals, 25 to 35 gigawatts of solar energy would need to be developed—building on the measly 3 gigawatts currently produced in MA. Synapse found that theoretically, 506 gigawatts could be generated by solar panels installed on rooftops, parking lot canopies, and ground-mounts across the Commonwealth. Only 152 gigawatts of this potential was considered satisfactory or acceptable for development, but that’s more than enough solar power to meet state goals! You can see how appropriate different locations in MA are for yourself using this interactive map that was created as part of the project.
This map shows the percentage of solar power each county of MA could potentially contribute to meet the 2050 solar production goal based on this study’s results. | Source: Synapse Energy Economics, 2023. Pg. 36.
Climable’s Role
Climable supported this study by helping to collect valuable insight from MA residents on their priorities and concerns regarding different types and locations of solar development. We helped develop a survey to collect informed input by incorporating educational aspects into the questions. Over 3,000 people took the survey. We also hosted five stakeholder meetings to gather more in-depth information from residents, utility companies, and others with a vested interest in solar development in MA.
The survey, which was open to the public for 60 days on the DOER’s website, specifically asked respondents about their attitudes towards placing solar panels on:
Underdeveloped lands
Previously or partially developed land
Agricultural land
Along roadsides
Brownfields (land that has been abandoned or is under-used due to pollution or contamination from previous uses)
Capped landfills
Canopies over parking lots
Rooftops of small or large buildings; on residential, private, or public buildings
This graph shows respondents’ attitudes about developing solar projects on the different land and building types listed above. Opinions are displayed in five colors which correspond to the five options: dark red for “very negative,” orange for “negative,” yellow for “neutral,” light blue for “positive,” and dark blue for “very positive.” For each type of land or building structure, the percentage that each attitude option was selected is shown using the five colors. | Source: Synapse Energy Economics, 2023. Pg. A-5.
Respondents indicated that they preferred developing solar panels on existing developed land including large rooftops (over 85% selected “very positive” and another 10% selected “positive”), parking lot canopies, and small residential rooftops. Many respondents indicated that they did not want solar projects to be developed on undeveloped or partially developed land; over 50% selected feeling “very negative” and another 25% or so selected “negative”. Respondents also generally felt positive about solar development on parking lot canopies, small rooftops, and brownfields or capped landfills. They were not positive about solar on agricultural land.
The survey also asked respondents to identify other topics related to the development of solar projects that they felt were important, including a negative impact on the environment, energy independence, a positive impact on the environment, environmental justice issues, energy reliability, and more. You can see the results of this question in the graph below.
This graph shows the number of times respondents selected topics that were important to them related to solar development. They could select as many topics as they liked. | Source: Synapse Energy Economics, 2023. Pg. A-2.
The most selected topic with nearly 2,500 selections was a negative impact on the environment, indicating that many respondents were concerned about the potential for negative environmental impacts from solar development. Energy independence and a positive impact on the environment were the second and third most selected topics, respectively.
Importance of Community Input
Through the stakeholder meeting takeaways and the survey results, Climable, Synapse, and DOER learned what MA residents and stakeholders care about regarding solar power development. We found that it is generally supported in the state, and people feel positively about it in many locations that Synapse found to be suitable. However, people are concerned about the impact it could have on the land and environment, particularly negative impacts on undeveloped land, partially developed land, or land that is already under pressure from other forms of development such as agricultural land. This is important information for local and state policymakers and other decision-makers as we all work towards meeting the state’s climate goals and transitioning away from fossil fuels. So, while it’s great news that MA has the potential to develop enough solar to not only reach but surpass our renewable energy goals, officials can arm themselves with this community input when deciding where to develop.