In the past few weeks, we have seen multiple news articles about proposed development of large industrial scale solar installations in various small rural towns. One might wonder why the frequency of these projects seems to be increasing. And why in western Massachusetts?
There are two reasons for this rush to develop industrial scale solar in our region. One is a response to the changes put in place by the Trump administration regarding clean energy tax incentives. The other is an attempt to get permitting in place in advance of the new state-mandated clean energy regulations. And why in rural parts of western Massachusetts? — because developing on forested or agricultural land is cheaper than on already developed land. Unfortunately, this has meant small, most often volunteer boards, are being confronted by multiple, complex project proposals, many of which may transform the communities where they are sited.
At the federal level, the Big Terrible Bill established July 2026 as the cut-off date for solar projects to receive the four-year “safe harbor” protections during which a project can be completed and still receive a 30% tax credit. Alternatively, the law also established that for projects begun after July 2026, these projects would need to have construction completed and be put in service by July 2027 to receive the tax benefit. This tight window created a rush to permitting.
At the state level, the November 2024 Clean Energy Law established March1, 2026 as the date when new Massachusetts regulations will go into effect. The Department of Energy Resources (DOER), which is writing the rules that municipalities must follow, is nearing the end of its process for developing draft regulations. While municipalities will have a short “concurrency period” after March 1, when they can still use their current solar bylaws, the new state regulations will likely prevail once they go into effect. While there will almost certainly continue to be large solar projects being sited in places that don’t make sense, the new state regulations will better define and tighten the zoning process; something solar developers would like to avoid. So again, there is a push to get permits in place before March 1.
We can see the effects of this pressure on solar developers to get permits in place and to start construction quickly in towns like Plainfield, Worthington, Southampton, and Amherst. If developers can take advantage of this window of opportunity, they can get projects designed in a manner they prefer, with less hoops to jump through, and get 30% federal tax incentives which will increase the project’s profitability.
Communities cannot necessarily stop this wave of large-scale solar development but they can still push to make the Massachusetts regulations more appropriate and protective. If you care about how industrial scale solar projects and their accompanying lithium-ion batteries are sited in our communities, it is important to know that DOER is still in the process of finalizing the “rules of the road.” Updated draft guidelines were released on Jan. 21 with public comments due by March 13. Visit DOER’s webpage to learn more and have your voice heard – https://bit.ly/doer-siting.
Michael DeChiara serves on the Shutesbury Planning Board and chairs the Shutesbury Energy and Climate Action Committee. He has been deeply engaged in tracking the clean energy regulatory process.