Politics & Government

Governor Chooses Watertown to be Part of Solar Incentive Program

Watertown residents and businesses will be able to take advantage of solar incentives.

Watertown will be part of the second round of the Solarize Massachusetts program, which will give residents and businesses access to special incentives to install solar panels and systems.

The Patrick Administration named the town as one of 15 selected for the second round of the program run by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER).

The program is designed to increase the adoption of solar energy, while reducing the overall cost of solar power and offering residents and businesses discounted pricing for solar systems. The program lowers energy costs by offering residents a five-tiered pricing structure, where the savings increase as more people sign contracts, according to an announcement from the Executive Officer of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

“Solarize Mass has been a rallying point for all the 31 communities that have participated so far, and I’m excited to see what these 15 new communities can do,” said MassCEC CEO Alicia Barton.

The town will work with state officials to select a designated solar installer through a competitive bidding process, according to the announcement.

Residents and businesses in the 10 communities that participated in the first round of the 2013 Solarize Mass program combined to sign 551 contracts to install solar electricity systems, constituting 3.8 megawatts of clean, renewable energy capacity – enough to power 570 homes annually, the announcement said.

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