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WHAT DEVELOPERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE LATEST SOLAR CREDIT CHANGES IN MASSACHUSETTS: Keeping up with The Commonwealth
Thought Leadership/Commentary:
By Mike Rantz, President and CEO Blymyer Engineers
Recently the Massachusetts DOER published an updated draft of the second phase of its Solar Renewable Energy Credit Program, with the goal of installing 1,600 MW of solar PV projects by 2020. Once the formal review proceedings are completed the program should become effective in early Q2. The program has had two drafts, SREC-I and SREC-II.
SREC-II is clearly shifting development away from large, standalone ground mounts and toward three specific market sectors, each which is assigned a certain SREC factor:
Market Sector A: residential or carports or any project up to 25 KW.
Market Sector B: Rooftop or ground mounted projects greater than 25 KW with at least two thirds of annual output used onsite (behind the existing meter).
Market Sector C: Landfill or brownfield projects or projects up to 650 KW with less than two thirds annual output used onsite.
Projects which do not fit within these categories (for example large ground mounts on greenfields) now fit into a “managed growth” category with the lowest SREC factor. The program also sets an annual limit to the number of total megawatts awarded to projects within the managed growth category, but there is no cap on development within the other sectors. For 2014 the limit is set roughly at 25 MW, and for 2015 the limit will be 80 MW.
By incentivizing projects on landfills, brownfields and rooftops the DOER is prioritizing productive use of otherwise unused space. The pace of development should be relatively predictable since there are a finite number of landfills, brownfields and rooftops in Massachusetts.
We are currently accepting bids on projects located in Massachusetts and the Northeastern US and invite developers to contact us to discuss your solar or renewable energy project.
About Blymyer Engineers
Founded in 1961 Blymyer is a premier engineering company actively designing projects in solar, wind and renewable energy for clients throughout the United States and internationally. The company maintains expert mechanical, electrical, civil and structural engineers in house and is licensed in over 30 states. The company partners with major utilities, renewable energy companies, developers, building owners, architects and government to provide superior and innovative engineering solutions. It has completed over 1GW of power generation in solar and offers turnkey engineering solutions for utility-scale and distributed generation projects and commercial applications.
For more information see www.BlymyerEngineers.com.
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