Boston Launches Solar Pilot and MassSave Partnership Targeting East Boston Residents

BOSTON — July 19, 2026 — Boston launches subsidized solar pilot and MassSave partnership targeting East Boston environmental justice community. Mayor Michelle Wu, joined by Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space Mariama White-Hammond, City Councilors Kendra Lara and Ruth C. Louis-Jean, and Councilor-elect Gigi Coletta, announced Solarize East Boston, a pilot program offering a 15 percent discount on average solar installation costs with upfront subsidies and no-cost options for income-eligible building owners, funded by federal ARPA dollars the Wu administration calls Boston Green New Deal funds. The city was also selected for the MassSave Community First Partnership, which will prioritize energy assessments in Dorchester, East Boston, Roxbury, and Mattapan and cover up to 100 percent of approved upgrade costs for residents, small businesses, and houses of worship. Green Roots, the Chelsea-based environmental justice nonprofit, will lead community outreach alongside installation contractors Ace Solar and Resonant Energy. White-Hammond pointedly noted that low-income residents, who contribute to MassSave through their utility bills, have historically had the lowest program participation rates: "We're excited to make sure that the residents of Boston are not subsidizing other residents in the way that they pay into the system."