SMART 3.0 effective late 2025/early 2026MA

Massachusetts community solar - the full stack.

SMART 3.0 (Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target) · MA Department of Energy Resources (DOER)

SMART 3.0 brings annual adjustable blocks, expanded low-income adders, and tighter land-use rules - replacing the long-running SMART 2.0 tariff structure.

Project cap

Up to 5 MW AC

Typical savings

10–15% off net metering credits

LMI requirement

Low-income community shared solar adder

Utilities

Eversource · National Grid · Unitil

Program overview

The Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program is administered by DOER under 225 CMR 28.00. SMART 3.0 - finalized through 2025 stakeholder process - replaces the prior block structure with annual adjustable capacity blocks, sharper low-income and storage adders, and stricter land-use mitigation. Community solar projects are compensated through a tariff-based incentive payment plus virtual net metering credits to subscribers.

The laws & rules

What governs community solar in Massachusetts.

225 CMR 28.00 (SMART 3.0 Regulations)

Governs eligibility, incentive rates, capacity blocks, and program requirements. Annual capacity blocks replace the prior 1,600 MW total cap.

Project size cap

STGUs (solar tariff generation units) capped at 5 MW AC. Land-use mitigation fees apply for greenfield sites above defined thresholds.

Low-income adders

Low-Income Community Shared Solar (LICSS) and Low-Income Property adders provide premium incentive rates for qualifying projects.

Storage + dual-use adders

Behind-the-meter and front-of-meter storage adders, plus agrivoltaic dual-use adders, can stack onto base community solar incentives.

Utilities we deliver in

Eversource · National Grid · Unitil

What Cannon does in Massachusetts

Four services. One accountable contract.

Project development

Site origination with land-use mitigation modeling, MassDEP brownfield navigation, and SMART 3.0 block-capacity timing strategy.

EPC construction

Ground-mount, dual-use ag, and rooftop community solar with paired storage. Prevailing-wage compliant; experienced with all three MA utility interconnection processes.

O&M under CANOS

Long-term tariff payment reconciliation, snow + nor'easter response, and IE-grade reporting under the SMART 3.0 compliance framework.

Subscriber management

LICSS-compliant LMI enrollment, virtual net metering credit allocation, and US-based subscriber support across Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil.

Why we win Massachusetts

The competitive edge - specific to this market.

    SMART 3.0 transition expertise - most competitors are still adapting from SMART 2.0

    Storage + agrivoltaic adder stacking we can engineer from day one

    In-house W-2 crews mean nor'easter response in hours, not days

Cannon Community Solar - Massachusetts development, EPC, O&M, and subscriber management.