Massachusetts · Performance incentive
Massachusetts SMART Program
Pays residential solar owners in Massachusetts based on actual output -- see the rate, eligibility, and how it changes payback below.
- $0.05-$0.30/kWh for …
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 9.2 yr
- Massachusetts baseline payback
- 4
- other Massachusetts programs
What it means
In Massachusetts, a 6 kW system already pays back in about 9.2 years on ~$2,023/year of modeled savings, and the Massachusetts SMART Program stacks on top of that, on top of any federal credit.
- $0.05-$0.30/kW…
- stated benefit
- 9.2 yr
- baseline payback (pre-incentive)
- 5
- Massachusetts programs that stack
- full
- net-metering policy
Payback and savings are modeled from public NREL/EIA data; the program benefit is summarized from DSIRE and may change.
Program description
Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) provides long-term production incentives.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Performance incentive
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- $0.05-$0.30/kWh for 10 years
- State electricity rate
- 27.5¢/kWh
- Massachusetts solar score
- 41/100
How Massachusetts compares to the U.S. average
Why this incentive matters more (or less) here - Massachusetts's solar fundamentals against the national average.
Source: NREL irradiance and U.S. EIA rates; payback modeled by PlainSolarData. Bars are scaled to the larger of the two values per metric.
Solar's trajectory in Massachusetts
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Massachusetts reported to the EIA.
Massachusetts's solar incentive stack
How this performance incentive sits among Massachusetts's 4 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Performance
Performance
1 programs
- Rebate
Rebate
1 programs
What this shows Massachusetts tracks 4 incentive types, 1 of them performance-based like this one -- paid on actual output rather than a one-time credit, stacking with the state's other program types.
How this incentive fits Massachusetts's solar picture
The Massachusetts SMART Program pays based on actual measured generation rather than a one-time credit, one of Massachusetts's DSIRE-tracked solar incentive programs. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of $0.05-$0.30/kWh for 10 years. DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That's the backdrop this incentive works against. Massachusetts averages 4.2 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 27.5¢/kWh, producing an estimated 7,358 kWh/year and $2,023 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $18,600. That baseline already implies a 9.2-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $31,975 before this incentive - every dollar this performance incentive delivers compresses that payback further.
A handful of other levers are worth checking alongside this one. Massachusetts has 5 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like MA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption, MA Net Metering, Commonwealth Solar Rebate. The state's net-metering policy is classified as full, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.
Your next step
- See Massachusetts's full solar profile, score, irradiance, rates, payback, and every program you can claim. Massachusetts solar data
- Run the savings calculator with your real bill to see how this incentive changes your own payback. ROI calculator
- Read how state and federal solar credits work together. Tax-credit guide
Estimates here are modeled from public data and are not financial advice; confirm program terms and your own eligibility before relying on a dollar figure.
Other Massachusetts incentives
Frequently asked questions
What is the Massachusetts SMART Program?
How does the Massachusetts SMART Program work?
Who is eligible for the Massachusetts SMART Program?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Massachusetts?
Are there other solar incentives in Massachusetts?
Incentive data from the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency); state solar economics from NREL and the U.S. EIA. See our methodology.