Plymouth County, MA — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

None codified at county level. Municipal bylaws govern ≤25 MW; EFSB review for >25 MW.

Municipal Planning Board: Special Permit or variance (≤25 MW). EFSB master permit for >25 MW.

Generally receptive — rural portions active solar; Plymouth tourism minor friction; EFSB reduces barriers

SE MA; Plymouth/Brockton area; Plymouth Rock tourism; suburban/rural mix; active utility-scale solar in rural areas; EFSB >25 MW

Improving

2024 Massachusetts Climate Act (signed Nov 21, 2024): historic reform of siting and permitting. Large projects (>25 MW generation or >100 MWh storage): Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) consolidates state and local review into single master permit; 15-month deadline for EFSB decision. Small projects (≤25 MW / ≤100 MWh): municipalities retain permitting authority under new streamlined process (225 CMR 29.00 promulgated Feb 27, 2026; effective immediately). 12-month deadline for municipal decisions on small clean energy projects. MGL Ch.40A §3 (Massachusetts Zoning Act): zoning ordinances cannot prohibit or unreasonably regulate solar energy systems — long-standing solar protection for sub-threshold projects. DOER site suitability scoring framework; community benefit plan requirements for larger projects. ISO-NE interconnection required statewide.

MA SMART Program (Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target): production incentive paid per kWh generated for 10 years for projects ≤5 MW; administered by DOER/utilities. Adder rates for low-income housing, brownfields, rooftops, and agrivoltaic projects. Net metering: available statewide (up to 5 MW for behind-the-meter); MA expanded net metering cap via DPU. MA RPS: 40% renewable by 2030 (Class I); Class I solar carve-out drives SREC value. MA Clean Energy Center MassSave: rebates for commercial/industrial efficiency and solar. Utility: Eversource (NSTAR/WMECo) and National Grid serve most counties; Cape Light Compact serves Barnstable and Dukes; various municipal aggregations active.

23 SMART Program solar projects totaling 107 MW in Plymouth County (CCSA analysis, as of 2020 pipeline) — highest county total in MA at that time. Projects on cranberry bogs, farms, and underutilized land. Eversource (NSTAR South Shore territory) serves Plymouth County. Plymouth County remained most active ground-mount solar county in MA through 2024 (DOER SMART land use data: Plymouth in 2nd-highest MW/capita quartile).

Some Plymouth County SMART applications affected by 2020 land use regulations restricting "ineligible" land (CCSA Jun 2020 — up to 80 projects statewide at risk). SMART 3.0 (effective Jun 20 2025) further tightened siting with mitigation fee framework.