Charlestown Residents Join Solar Power Program

Residential solar projects in Boston will double now that 116 homeowners have signed contracts to install solar projects through Solarize Mass-Boston.

Residents and businesses in the area were offered a group buying program designed to increase interest in purchasing solar energy and reduce the cost. The more people who signed up, the more prices dropped, with 41 contracts being signed in the last week of the program.

Roslindale led the way with 33 contracts signed, followed by Dorchester with 22, and then Jamaica Plain with 21 contracts. All other neighborhoods were in single digit contracts, including Charlestown, which had 2 contracts. (See the chart below for a full breakdown).

The four-month sign-up period ended on Nov. 4. The solar project partners the City of Boston, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to make solar more accessible and affordable for Boston homeowners. The 116 contracts will result in 522 kilowatts of clean, renewable energy, according to a city press release.

“Solarize Mass-Boston was an outstanding success and helped increase Bostonians’ access to the clean energy revolution,” Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said in a statement. “We’ll build on this success and continue to develop programs to help residents and businesses green their energy usage while reducing costs.”

Menino kicked off the program by installing solar panels on his own home in Hyde Park. Menino’s previously stated goal was to have 25 megawatts of solar energy in Boston by 2015, with solar being installed at residences, businesses and municipal buildings.

Including Menino's home, Hyde Park signed nine contracts. Check out the rest of the neighborhood breakdown: