Cómo podemos aprovechar el enorme potencial solar en las comunidades de justicia ambiental de Massachusetts

A new report on Massachusetts finds that neighborhoods classified as environmental justice communities (areas with more low-income, non-English-speaking, or racially diverse residents) have enough rooftop solar potential to power almost all 3 million households in the state, plus battery storage potential on top of that. Right now only about 1% of the solar capacity approved under the state's SMART incentive program sits on low-income properties, so this potential is largely untapped. Rooftop solar has already been shown to lower energy bills for low-income households, and more than 90% of the technical solar and storage potential in these neighborhoods falls in areas that also deal with extreme summer heat, meaning solar paired with batteries could help homes stay cool during outages or heat waves.

The report points to several obstacles: limited financing options, aging home electrical systems, workforce shortages, and a lack of incentives for renters and condo owners, who make up two-thirds of this untapped potential since it isn't limited to single-family homes. It also notes that most current clean energy programs lack specific equity goals or funding set aside for these communities.

For homeowners, the takeaway is less about a new program to sign up for and more about a signal of where state policy may be headed. Massachusetts lawmakers are currently weighing bills that would set equity-focused solar and storage targets and that would affect funding for MassSave, the state's main energy-efficiency rebate program. Changes to MassSave's budget could affect what incentives are available for solar, storage, or other electrical upgrades in the coming years.