Letter: The Western Massachusetts Solar Forum and What We Thought We Knew

During the month of September, the Umass clean energy extension, working with the Massachusetts state delegation, presented a series of online public discussions and information-sharing sessions regarding the opportunities and challenges associated with solar photovoltaic (pv) development and installation in Western Massachusetts (see also here).

The Western Massachusetts solar forum has been a remarkable gift to our area, where municipalities and residents are wrestling with how to balance the need to produce clean energy and the need to protect the environment.

Before the forum, we heard said, and some of us thought we knew that:

The commonwealth’s plan to reach carbon zero necessitates siting solar everywhere, including on forest and farmland.

We thought we knew that:
Forests are only important for carbon sequestration.

We thought we knew that:
Ground mounted solar, when compared to solar on the built environment, is always a better choice.

We thought we knew that:
All municipalities should contribute a fair share of ground mounted solar based on population size and/or square acreage

We thought that we knew that:
Protecting wildlife and biodiversity are secondary concerns.

The solar forum has taught us that balancing the competing needs of clean energy production and environmental protection is critical to addressing the climate crisis. Environmental protection is of equal importance to producing clean energy.

For anyone who was not able to attend the forum, the taped sessions and documents are available here.

Jenny Kallick

Jenny Kallick is a resident of Amherst.