Baker adopts Patrick's goal on solar energy
The Baker administration is committed to the installation of at least 1,600 megawatts of solar energy in Massachusetts by 2020, continuing a goal established by former governor Deval Patrick, according to the state’s secretary of energy and environmental affairs.
"Having said that, I also have a sense that many recognize the current framework and incentive levels need to be revisited as the markets and the industry have matured," former Shrewsbury state representative Matt Beaton told a solar energy conference in Boston.
Patrick set the 1,600-megawatt goal in 2013.
Beaton, one of Gov. Charlie Baker’s first appointments, previously ran Beaton Kane Construction, a consulting company that focused on building energy efficient homes.
There are 751 megawatts of solar energy installed in the Bay State, enough for powering 122,000 homes. Beaton called it a "virtual solar boom."
"My past has given me a great understanding of the power that is in the sun and the work that comes through your work," Beaton told attendees of the conference, which included solar manufacturers, service providers and installers. "I stand here today as an advocate for the cause and doing it the right way."
The total number of solar industry jobs in Massachusetts stands at 10,000, after the addition of 3,000 jobs last year, according to Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), one of the organizations that put together the conference. There are 368 solar companies in Massachusetts.
"We look forward to working with Gov. Baker and Sec. Beaton on ways to develop a long-term framework for solar, which will help to keep the state's tremendous momentum moving forward," Resch said in a statement after Beaton's speech.
A task force set up by the Legislature to look at current net metering and solar programs and "various alternatives to the status quo" is expected to issue a report by the end of March, according to Beaton.
Lawmakers last year approved a bill lifting a cap on solar production, opting against an overhaul of the state system aimed at helping solar energy projects. Beaton, then a state lawmaker, called the bill "watered down" at the time.
"Many of us that were in the Legislature at the time wanted to look at the structure because of broad-based recognition that the installation costs of solar have been coming down dramatically," Beaton said on Monday.
The structure should help the state hit the 1,600-megawatt target, but it must also reconcile two competing interests, Beaton added.
"First, the incentives must be high enough to continue driving the industry forward. Second, and equally important, ratepayers who fund the program through electric rates should not be paying more than is necessary to reach the installation goal," he added. "Striking a balance between these two interests should be our mutual reform objective."
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