Energy Storage Equity: An Assessment of Three Massachusetts Programs

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a national leader in clean energy policy. In recent years, it has adopted ambitious energy storage procurement targets supported by innovative policies and programs, which are entering a period of internal review. The Commonwealth also has a long-held commitment to equity in its clean energy programs.

Against this backdrop, Clean Energy Group contracted with the Applied Economics Clinic to provide an analysis of the equity provisions in three Massachusetts energy storage programs: ConnectedSolutions, the SMART solar program, and the Clean Peak Standard. The resulting analysis, Energy Storage Equity: An Assessment of Three Massachusetts Programs, concludes that Massachusetts’ energy storage-incentivizing programs, while groundbreaking in many ways, have not yet lived up to the Commonwealth’s clean energy equity commitments. The report includes recommendations to better align Massachusetts’ energy storage programs with its equity commitments and to draw on lessons learned and best practices from similar programs in other states.