Clamoring for “long-term stable growth” in their sector,
solar industry workers rallied Wednesday for changes that would make it easier
and more economical for people to support renewable energy.
After some boom years, employment in the Massachusetts solar
industry has dipped, losing about 3,000 jobs in the past two years. The
industry now employs 11,500 people in Massachusetts.
“This is still in the early frames of our growth as an
industry,” said Zaid Ashai, chairman and CEO of Nexamp, a solar company. He
told supporters outside the State House, “It needs to be long-term stable
growth.”
Rep. Carmine Gentile, a Sudbury Democrat who joined
demonstrators rallying for solar outside the State House Wednesday morning, was
not optimistic about their policy goals making it into law this session.
“Hope springs eternal,” Gentile told the News Service. He
said the fact that the Legislature passed an omnibus energy diversification law
two years ago has “drawn our focus to other areas” as lawmakers approach the
July 31 end of formal sessions.
The solar workers lobbied as the House prepared to pass a
roughly $500 million bill to support another sector — the life sciences
industry.
Solar industry supporters want to again lift the cap on
net-metering, which allows solar energy producers to receive more lucrative
rates for the electricity they produce. There is a statutory cap on the amount
of net-metering available to businesses and municipalities, and that cap has
been hit in the National Grid service area, according to advocates.
The solar activists also want to reverse a Department of
Public Utilities (DPU) decision granting Eversource the ability to charge new
fees on new solar customers starting next year. Solar customers still use the
electrical grid even if their electricity production exceeds the amount of
power they use.
“We support renewable energy and promote a sustainable model
for future solar development,” said Eversource spokesman Michael Durand.
“Currently, in addition to high subsidies paid to solar developers, costs
associated with maintaining the local electric grid are unfairly borne by our
non-solar customers. Which is why our regulators approved changes to our rates
that will ensure developers of solar facilities installed after the end of this
year will contribute to the cost of the maintenance and upgrade work that
benefits every customer.”
Those calling for more support for sun-generated electricity
also oppose a proposal the utilities put before the DPU to put a limit on the
benefits of community-based solar. Renters and others can lower their utility
bills through community-based solar, even if they don’t have real estate of
their own.
Mark Sylvia, managing director of people and civic
engagement for Blue Wave, a solar developer and financer, said that renters can
buy net metering credits from a solar project miles away from their homes as
long as they are in their utility territory.
Sean Garren, Northeast senior director at Vote Solar, said
utilities have asked the DPU to limit the discounts available to customers
through community-based solar. Vote Solar wants those participating in
community-based solar to completely offset their bills, and he said Attorney
General Maura Healey has backed a similar approach.
The New England Power Generators Association, which
represents solar producers along with fossil-fuel plants, believes solar is a
“phenomenal resource,” but opposes large carve-outs in the power market,
according to Dan Dolan, the association’s president, who said changes should be
made to the transportation sector to replicate the environmentally friendly
gains made in the electricity sector, which operates under a regional cap and
trade system.
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