Solar Potential Study To List Most, Least Desirable Sites

Solar Potential Study To List Most, Least Desirable Sites

As the Department of Energy Resources charts the state's course towards net-zero emissions by 2050, it is looking to hire a consultant this year to analyze the potential for further solar development in Massachusetts and produce a detailed list of the most and least desirable locations for the cleaner power source.

Because they are the lowest cost low-carbon energy resources, solar power and offshore wind "will comprise the bulk of the Commonwealth's and the region's electricity generation in 2050" and both must reach the 15 to 20 gigawatt range, the Baker administration wrote in the 2050 decarbonization roadmap it released in late 2020. The report said 20 to 23 GW of solar capacity "is optimal from a system-balancing perspective." Right now, Massachusetts has a bit more than 3 GW of solar installed.

DOER last week issued a request for quotes from firms that could lead a public/stakeholder engagement process, conduct a spatial analysis to assess the potential for solar development, and suggest "policy considerations on best approaches to realize solar development that maximizes the amount of solar development while ensuring it is done in a cost-effective manner that minimizes environmental impacts." The analysis is to include "a thematic ranking of preferred and least preferred sites, listing the total amount of solar capacity that could be developed within each ranking."

The study, which the DOER bid document contemplates starting this June and ending in June 2023, is meant to complement DOER's 2021 analysis of ground-mounted solar development between 2010 and 2019.

"Throughout the deployment of solar in the Commonwealth, questions have been raised about the appropriate siting of the facilities that are receiving incentives through its programs. DOER has convened stakeholder sessions on the topic through the past decade. Stakeholders have expressed both a desire for more clean energy and concerns about the amount of forest that are being converted to solar development," DOER wrote in the bid book. The department added, "Recognizing that additional solar will be needed to meet the net zero goals, DOER seeks to build off of the previous efforts and hire a consultant (Consultant) to undertake a Technical Potential of Solar Study."

Whichever firm is awarded the contract will be charged with leading a stakeholder engagement effort that focuses on environmental justice populations, conducting the spatial analysis, assessing the greenhouse gas emissions impacts of solar development, making policy suggestions and producing an online resource that shares the results of the study in various ways. - Colin A. Young/SHNS | 2/28/22 9:51 AM