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Solar incentives in Massachusetts
What is actually on offer here in 2026 — the state incentive, the federal position, and the export rule, which is usually worth more than either.
The state incentive
SMART 3.0 + $1,000 state credit. $0.03/kWh for 20 years under SMART, plus the residential renewable energy credit.
The federal position
§25D, the 30% residential credit, expired for systems placed in service after 31 December 2025 — installed, not merely purchased. §48E did not expire on that schedule, and a company owning panels on your roof under a lease or PPA can still claim it. That asymmetry, not anything specific to Massachusetts, is the largest single change in residential solar economics. The detail, with sources.
Rate schedules and export rules
What your surplus earns is set here, and it is where two identical systems a mile apart stop being comparable.
Eversource / National Grid — Residential R-1 + SMART
Full retail net metering AND a 20-year production incentive on top. The richest stack left in the country. Fixed charge $10.00/month.
Summer Flat $0.30.
Winter Flat $0.29.
Exports: full net metering — every exported kilowatt-hour is credited at the same retail price you pay to import one.
Source: MA residential rates; DOER SMART 3.0 program, residential ≤25 kW
Production in Massachusetts
| City | kWh per kW / year | 7 kW system |
|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA | 1,278 | 8,946 |
Policy changes affecting Massachusetts
- The 30% residential solar credit is gone. What replaced it is not a credit.The 4 July begin-construction deadline has passed. What that means for commercial projects.Net billing is the default now, and it changes what a solar panel is for
Work out your own number
Credits are the easy part. What decides payback is how much of your own production you use versus export, hour by hour, against the schedules above.
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