Massachusetts · Directly Licensed
Commercial Solar and Battery Storage Incentives in Massachusetts
Massachusetts runs the strongest storage economics GEC sees in any state it is licensed in: the SMART program pays for solar production, ConnectedSolutions pays commercial batteries $200 per kilowatt each summer, and the power being displaced costs 24 cents. This page covers what each program pays, how they combine, and the primary source behind every number. GEC holds a direct professional license in Massachusetts.
Updated July 7, 2026 · Every figure sourced
What incentives can a Massachusetts business claim on commercial solar in 2026?
Three programs and one price. The SMART program pays a set rate per kilowatt hour of solar production for the incentive term. ConnectedSolutions pays a commercial battery $200 per kilowatt each summer for dispatch during regional peaks. The federal Section 48E credit pays 30 percent of project cost, more at qualifying Energy Community addresses. And the power being displaced averaged 24.02 cents per kilowatt hour in April 2026, among the highest commercial rates in the continental United States.
Each is captured separately. The federal clock is the shared constraint: solar projects beginning construction now must be operating by December 31, 2027 to claim the credit.
How does the SMART program pay a commercial system?
SMART, the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target program, is run by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources under 225 CMR 20.00 and pays solar owners a set compensation rate for every kilowatt hour produced. The current program, SMART 3.0, released 600 MW of capacity for Program Year 2026 across the National Grid, Eversource, and Unitil service territories.
The structure is a declining block: capacity opens in blocks by utility territory, and the compensation rate steps down as blocks fill, with year-over-year changes capped by the program's rate methodology. The exact rate a project earns depends on its size tier, its territory, and the block open when it registers, and pairing storage with the solar earns additional compensation under the program's storage provisions. Because those numbers move with block status, GEC quotes them from the current DOER rate tables during the assessment rather than publishing a figure that may be a block out of date. Primary source: Mass.gov, SMART 3.0 program details.
What does ConnectedSolutions pay a commercial battery?
ConnectedSolutions is the demand response program run by the Mass Save utilities, including National Grid and Eversource, that pays commercial and industrial battery owners for discharging during summer peak events. The daily dispatch option pays $200 per kilowatt per summer, with up to 60 events per season and a 5 year rate lock for new battery systems, per the program materials for commercial and industrial customers.
Two facts make this the strongest storage case in GEC's licensed footprint. First, the payment sits on top of what the battery already does for the facility, which is cutting demand charges and carrying critical load. Second, co-participation with SMART is explicitly allowed, and ConnectedSolutions dispatch performance satisfies the cycling requirement in SMART's storage provisions, so the same battery earns in both programs, each captured on its own terms.
The Price Backdrop
Why does the Massachusetts math start with the electric bill?
Massachusetts commercial electricity averaged 24.02 cents per kilowatt hour in April 2026 per the U.S. Energy Information Administration, roughly 45 percent above the national commercial average and among the highest rates in the continental United States. At that price, the largest incentive in any Massachusetts solar analysis is the power the facility stops buying. The programs above improve a payback that the rate alone already drives.
Two mechanics shape the design. Massachusetts net metering is capped, with allocations managed through the state's application portal, and larger commercial systems generally receive market net metering credits rather than full retail value, so cap room gets checked early in scoping. And Massachusetts law exempts the added value of a qualifying solar system from local property tax for 20 years where the system serves the property's own energy needs, a fit for a facility-serving rooftop system that GEC confirms during development.
How does GEC deliver a Massachusetts project?
Massachusetts is one of the ten states where General Energy Corporation holds direct professional licenses. GEC is an engineering-first EPC, headquartered in Illinois, that has designed and built commercial energy systems since 1985 with engineering in-house rather than subcontracted.
A Massachusetts engagement starts with the facility's utility bill and load profile. GEC checks the open SMART block and current rate for the territory, models the battery against the facility's demand charges plus the ConnectedSolutions payment, confirms net metering cap room, and verifies the Energy Community designation at the address. The result is a projection with every incentive on its own line, each with its source.
General information, not tax or legal advice. Incentive eligibility and final value depend on your facility, your tax position, and program availability at the time of filing. GEC confirms the specifics for your site during the assessment.
Massachusetts commercial solar, answered
Find out what your Massachusetts facility qualifies for
One utility bill is enough to start. GEC checks the open SMART block for your territory, models the battery against your demand charges plus ConnectedSolutions, and runs the December 2027 timeline against your facility, with every number sourced.