Clients: Clean Energy Group, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Vote Solar
Authors: Tanya Stasio, PhD and Elisabeth Seliga
May 2026
Massachusetts electric demand is expected to increase substantially by 2050, creating the need for additional electric generating capacity. Deployment of on-site or behind-the-meter (BTM) solar and BTM solar paired with storage in allows customers to generate and store their own clean energy, which in turn can lower peak electric demand, reduce the need for additional investments in expensive gas-fired power plants, and provide households and businesses with energy bill savings, increased resilience, and energy autonomy. Increasing BTM deployment in the Commonwealth’s low-income and environmental justice neighborhoods, will advance its commitment to an equitable clean energy transition and direct clean energy and storage benefits where its needed most.
On behalf of Clean Energy Group, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Vote Solar, AEC Senior Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD and Assistance Researcher Elisabeth Seliga prepared a report that estimates the technical potential for BTM solar paired with storage in Massachusetts environmental justice neighborhoods using solar technical potential estimates from the 2023 Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources’ Technical Potential of Solar Study. In addition, this report, through original analysis and input from an environmental justice advisory committee, identifies nine primary barriers to solar and storage adoption and advances 18 recommendations to address these barriers and help realize BTM solar and storage potential in Massachusetts’ environmental justice neighborhoods. In Electrification with Equity, Part 1, linked below, AEC estimates Massachusetts statewide “highly suitable” technical potential for BTM solar paired with storage.
Link to Electrification with Equity, Part 1 Report
Return to Our Work