The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) has released, and solar management company Ampion has reviewed, the results of the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) procurement event, establishing incentive prices for new solar development in the state. The solar industry had been awaiting the results since the DOER announced the end of the Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) program in September 2016.
“The rates are high enough that capacity will be built, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” said Nate Owen, Ampion CEO. “The New England ISO recently claimed our natural gas-dependent grid is not as reliable as we hoped. Instead of building pipelines and transmission lines, we should build more local, sustainable, and reliable power to support our grid. SMART rates are a step in that direction.”
Under SMART, solar projects are assigned a value based on several variables, including subscriber class, location, and storage compatibility. A portion of that value is determined by the contract of the project, whether it be the net metering, alternative on-bill crediting, qualifying facility, or behind-the-meter contract. Any remaining value is issued to the developer.
“Given that statewide net metering capacities have largely been reached, we anticipate the alternative on-bill crediting mechanism will be a popular choice,” said Ampion policy analyst Emily Cosbar, “Along with net metering, the ‘AOBC’ is the only way projects can qualify as community solar, resulting in a higher incentive value than if they received qualifying facility payments or interconnected behind-the-meter.”
Currently, three investor-owned utilities are working with the Department of Public Utilities to finalize tariffs for the SMART program. The program is projected to take effect in June of this year.
News item from Ampion
Sean Buckley says
I will tell you what I have been told. I am an installer on the island of Martha’s Vineyard Massachusetts these past three, 13 year prior to that I operated as a general contractor designer builder. There is a semi-quote, “the new smart program is a very close resemblance to the long-standing Connecticut statewide program”. (So, my understanding is that there is plenty of literature on how the netiquette program works, and it’s been around long enough to have Laymans versions available for your review).
Otherwise, the truth is, that everyone is still trying to figure it out. In some of the most basic purposes are not actually set in stone or understood at this point. Sean Buckley, harvest sun solar
Edward Ganshirt says
I don’t understand what SMART is! SREC you get paid for 1000kw you generate (1 srec) that is sold through some kind if exchange and you get a check for that that varies from $210 to $430. I am clueless what a SMART is, can you explain to a layman who wants to install solar?