The Smart Solar Partnership Project for New England started as a two-year effort to build an influential, ongoing, multi-stakeholder coalition supporting recommendations that advance smart solar policies and programs in New England states. This is a joint effort to accelerate the expansion of renewable solar energy facilities while maintaining New England’s most productive, resilient farmland and forest land and strengthening its regional food systems. 

The project aims to reduce conflicts over siting of solar facilities by reaching agreement among multi-stakeholders on smart solar principles, policies, and programs and build them into state policies and local planning – offering a consensus-based, solutions-oriented approach to a problem that, if left unaddressed, will significantly impact the region’s ability to meet its climate goals.

Project partners have successfully convened stakeholders from all sectors, completed detailed policy analyses, solar siting case studies, land use research, and evaluated equity impacts of solar project siting – assessing each New England State’s potential to meet their climate and  solar generation goals while protecting the region’s best farm and forest land.