Massachusetts has a clear solution to tackle both rising electricity bills and heat: on-site, local energy sources like solar. These affordable, renewable, and emissions-free alternatives are particularly key to protecting the health—and wallets—of the Commonwealth’s environmental justice (EJ) neighborhoods.
BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color) populations and low-income households in the United States are disproportionately exposed to the environmental and health impacts of utility-scale polluting infrastructure like gas-fired power plants. In Massachusetts, more than 80 percent of polluting power plants are located in or within a mile of an EJ neighborhood. Local “behind-the-meter" solar paired with storage allows customers to generate and store their own clean energy while reducing the need for additional investments in expensive gas-fired power plants.
These solutions also prepare the Commonwealth for extreme temperatures driven by the climate crisis: providing access to cooling centers during heat waves or power disruptions while keeping homes and neighborhoods cooler, reducing temperatures and the risk of heat-related illness, and reducing the cost to heat a home during cold snaps. The report lays out 18 recommendations across nine categories to help Massachusetts scale up the tremendous potential of solar and storage for the Commonwealth’s EJ communities.
This report was prepared by the Applied Economics Clinic, as commissioned by the Clean Energy Group, Vote Solar, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. This research was conducted in collaboration with an advisory committee with perspectives from different sectors—including EJ organizations, affordable housing, Indigenous people, and clean energy developers–to reflect on-the-ground experiences and priorities for EJ neighborhoods.
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