Newton will install solar panels on three additional City buildings, bringing its total solar projects to 27, as part of an effort to make the city carbon neutral by 2050.
The new rooftop installations at Peirce Elementary School, Lincoln-Eliot Elementary School, and the Cooper Center for Active Living will contribute to the $1 million-plus annual solar savings by the City and schools, according to an article in the City’s newsletter written by Sam Nighman, the City’s Co-director of Climate and Sustainability, and Climate Action Coordinator Caroline Weiss.
The solar projects at both schools are in early stages of construction, while the installation at the Cooper Center will begin after construction is finished in December, according to Nighman. The most recently completed solar project, on the roof of Wiliams Elementary School, began operation in May.
“For us, it’s been driven primarily by the environmental benefits,” Nighman said. “We have a commitment to, by 2050, having the whole city be carbon neutral.”
City officials say the solar expansion demonstrates Newton’s clean energy commitment to residents and businesses. Weiss said solar panels installed on City buildings “are a great way to lead by example and show residents what’s possible in terms of solar arrays. They see it all around the city. Maybe that can be an inspiration to install in their own homes or businesses, too.”
Homeowners who make clean-energy improvements, including solar, are eligible for a 30% federal tax credit, which expires December 31. Another incentive is the newest version of the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target program, which provides payments to homeowners for every kWh of energy produced by their solar system. The state also deducts 15% from income taxes, up to a maximum of $1,000, for the cost of renewable energy installations.
Weiss said that although the City isn’t able to provide additional incentives in place of the expiring federal credit, officials are working to educate residents on existing incentives to encourage solar installations. However, some state lawmakers seem open to the idea. In a Senate hearing on climate change and global warming last week, Elizabeth Mahony, the commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources, said policy makers should consider additional environment-friendly incentives.
“We have to consider how it impacts the state budget,” she said, “but again, I’ll keep saying it, these are projects that help all of us.”
Mahony also said that additional incentives could come through changes to the SMART structure in 2026.
“I have always tended to assume that tax credits can be difficult,” she said, “so we’re trying to address it through what we have at our control, which is these incentive levels.”
Another speaker during the hearing, Hannah Birnbaum, the chief of advocacy for Permit Power — an organization that aspires to lower solar prices by streamlining the process — suggested ways to reduce the soft costs of solar (expenses other than materials and labor).
Birnbaum said smart permitting, which issues instant permits for solar panels on homes, could shave $5,500 off the cost of a typical installation. Matthew McAllister, CEO of SolarAPP+, which also aims to lower the soft costs of solar installations, advocated for remote inspections of solar panel installations in homes, which would trim the cost of solar panels for homeowners.
He said the average residential solar and battery system costs $35,000 in the United States, while the same system would cost $12,000 in the UK, Australia, or Germany. A large reason for the difference is the soft costs, which McAllister said could be mitigated through modern processes.
Bob Persons is an energy coach in Newton, someone who can answer homeowner questions about climate and energy. He said the City can do more to promote the use of solar and inspire interest in renewable energy. Fewer than half of the questions he receives are about solar.
Persons said the work of Green Newton, an organization focused on improving the environment and the way resources are used in Newton, deserves more attention.
“Newton’s a pretty rich community, and one way to start making things happen is for people who can afford it to get it started,” Persons said. “And, of course, the Trump administration is cancelling all the incentives and everything that people would like to use, but there are still people interested in doing their part to help save the planet.”
Koya Weiss is majoring in journalism at Boston University. His work for Fig City News is through the BU Newsroom program, which pairs students with local news organizations.
