National Grid Named Among Top Solar Utilities in United States

No. 5 in solar megawatts interconnected with 123 megawatts across MA in 2014

WALTHAM, MA – National Grid in Massachusetts has been named among the top utilities connecting the most megawatts of solar energy in the United States in 2014, earning a spot on the Solar Electric Power Association’s (SEPA’s) Top 10 annual utility solar listings.

In survey results released April 29, National Grid ranked No. 5 on the Annual Solar Megawatts Interconnected by Utility list, connecting 123 megawatts (MW) of solar to the grid in Massachusetts in 2014. National Grid also scored the No. 7 spot on the Annual Interconnections by Utility list, connecting 5,270 new solar customers in MA last year.

“National Grid is proud to have supported the incredible expansion of solar in Massachusetts over the last decade,” said Marcy Reed, president of National Grid in Massachusetts. “As our customers become increasingly interested in the benefits of clean, renewable energy resources, we are enabling their choices and planning the energy grid of the future while working closely with the state’s Net Metering Task Force to come up with ways to continue this growth at lower cost for all customers.”

National Grid’s approach to planning and operating energy infrastructure in the Northeast, which the company calls Connect21, aligns with the Commonwealth’s goal to install 1,600 MW of solar generation in Massachusetts by 2020. The company has connected more than 300 MW of customer-sited solar generation in the state, and is constructing 19 new company-owned solar projects that will add 16 MW of generating capacity to its solar portfolio this year. The company is also committed to the delivery of large-scale renewable electricity sources; natural gas infrastructure investment and energy efficiency programs, all of which will provide customers in the region with affordable, clean, reliable energy.

National Grid empowers customers and communities by linking customer needs and public policy goals with technology and market solutions, thus driving energy productivity, a cleaner energy environment and more robust local economies. The company will continue to play a pivotal role in enabling new technologies to be implemented more quickly, serving as a community catalyst for solar generation, electric vehicles and more.

“Our Top 10 survey results confirm the unstoppable momentum now propelling solar market expansion in the United States and the active role many utilities are playing in it,” said Julia Hamm, SEPA’s President and CEO. “Consumers across the country want solar, and their utilities are responding, with streamlined interconnection procedures as well as new and innovative projects and business models. And we’re seeing this growth not only in well-established markets, such as in California or Hawaii, but in unexpected pockets of solar activity, including Tennessee, Utah and Montana.”

SEPA’s eighth annual survey includes figures from more than 1,000 utilities across the country on new solar they interconnected both in 2014 and cumulatively. The full Top 10 listings are available on the SEPA website at www.sepatop10.org .

About Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA)

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is an educational nonprofit organization working to help utilities make solar energy a safe, reliable and reasonably priced part of their energy portfolios, while benefiting themselves, their customers and the general public. As co-sponsor of both PV America and Solar Power International, SEPA provides research reports and educational opportunities, including webinars, fact-finding missions and professional networking events.