On May 13th, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey proposed the Energy Affordability, Independence, and Innovation Act, aimed at reducing costs for residents and businesses.

This bill addresses the issues in the solar energy industry from several aspects. Firstly, it will allow the Massachusetts Department of Energy and Resources (DOER) to sign new clean energy procurement contracts instead of requiring them to facilitate contracts through utility companies. The bill will also require Massachusetts utility companies to update their interconnection processes to reduce the time and cost for customers to connect solar projects to the grid.

On the negative side, the bill also proposes to reduce net metering compensation for non residential solar projects (including community solar). The Community Solar Access Alliance (CCSA) expressed dissatisfaction with this provision of the bill and demanded that the governor change his approach.

CCSA Northeast Regional Director Kate Daniel said in a press statement, "Some of the first community solar projects in the state, as well as many projects serving municipalities and local governments, have adopted net metering pricing. We are concerned that the proposals in the governor's bill may hinder progress on these projects, as well as other solar projects such as the Massachusetts Solar Renewable Energy Target (SMART) program. By changing the compensation rate for solar projects, Governor Healy has taken a step back in providing clean and affordable energy for Massachusetts residents