Renewable Energy Potential

One of the unique features of Massachusetts is its diversity of clean energy resources. The state boasts an abundant bioenergy stock, excellent wind potential in a number of areas, existing hydropower facilities and infrastructure, and sufficient solar energy for widespread solar photovoltaic installations.

The actual amount of clean energy that could be developed in the state is far greater than what is currently being utilized. Here we provide some general information on the potential of each clean energy technology in Massachusetts and New England.

Solar

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels can be installed around Massachusetts at a variety of sites, most often on the rooftops of buildings. Because solar energy is an unlimited resource, the potential for PV development in the state depends more on the number of sites where these can be installed without being shaded or damaged. The general solar resource in New England is presented in the Federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) Solar Resource Map.

Wind Energy

Approximately 3.5% of Massachusetts land has sufficient average wind speeds and available land for the installation of utility-scale wind turbines. This number excludes areas that have already been developed or identified as environmentally sensitive. Because wind farms do not require significant areas of land, at most only 0.35% of the 3.5% of available land would be taken up by turbines and associated structures.

Detailed wind resource maps have been prepared for New England, Massachusetts, and individual communities throughout the Commonwealth. Maps of onshore and offshore wind resources, transmission lines, ocean depth, and other features for the state and for the rest of New England are available at the MTC Community Wind Page.

Detailed maps of wind energy resources, open space, and other landscape features for every town and city in Massachusetts are available from the MTC 's Community Wind Atlas.

All of these maps are derived from work cosponsored by MTC, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, and Northeast Utilities. The wind resource mapping project was conducted by TrueWind Solutions and AWS Scientific.

Biomass

Massachusetts has an abundant natural stock of bioenergy fuels, making it a clean energy source with great potential for the state. However, recovery of some types of biomass is expensive and not economically feasible at present, so the true role of biomass in local energy production may end up being smaller than projected. The Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources has developed an overview of the biomass resource in Massachusetts, and the Federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) offers a map of the New England biomass resource as a whole. Read a report released in April 2008 by the Massachusetts Advanced Biofuels Task Force

Hydropower

Development of hydropower in Massachusetts will likely be limited to the upgrade or repair of existing dams, as new river construction is heavily regulated. If all the potential hydropower sites that meet these regulations were developed, they could produce 4% of the state's energy consumption. The locations of these existing sites are largely in central and northern Massachusetts.

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