Martha’s Vineyard solar array will cut bills for low-income islanders

A new rooftop solar project on Martha's Vineyard is set to lower energy bills for hundreds of low-income, year-round residents on the island, which has some of the highest electricity costs in the country despite its reputation as a wealthy vacation spot. The 138-kilowatt system, installed on workforce housing tied to Martha's Vineyard Hospital, started running in June.

Half the savings from the solar power will go toward the hospital workers living at the housing site. The other half, an estimated $550,000 over 25 years, will be shared among roughly 500 income-eligible households across the island through Vineyard Power's Resiliency and Affordability Program. As long as the system produces at least 70% of its expected output each year, $22,000 will be paid out annually to those households, a fixed amount that won't change with energy prices. Payments to participants are set to begin after the system's first full year of operation.

The project came out of SolarShare, a new model from the nonprofit PowerOptions Connect that uses donated funds to cut upfront solar costs so more of the financial benefit can flow directly to people struggling with high energy bills, rather than just the property owner. It was funded partly through grants from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and partnerships with Vineyard Power, which manages community funds from the nearby Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind project. PowerOptions Connect says it's now discussing similar projects with partners elsewhere in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and Rhode Island.