Massachusetts a national leader for solar and EVs

BOSTON – Massachusetts ranks 5th in the nation for electric vehicle charging ports and 11th for solar generation, according to the online State of Renewable Energy 2025 dashboard released on Wednesday by Environment Massachusetts Research & Policy Center. Massachusetts also posted strong growth in battery storage capacity and electric vehicle adoption, ranking 10th and 12th in the nation respectively.

The analysis comes as Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey’s administration works to implement programs to help the state meet its clean energy and climate goals. Massachusetts recently updated its siting process for renewable energy projects, and state regulators are updating electric rates so they don’t penalize households that install efficient all-electric heat pumps.  

“In the nationwide race to 100% clean and renewable energy, Massachusetts is running with the pack. Now it’s time to take the lead,” said Johanna Neumann, Acting Director of Environment Massachusetts Research & Policy Center. “Power from the sun and wind doesn’t pollute, never runs out and shows up for free. Renewable energy is an idea whose time has come.”

The analysis found that:

• As of 2024, Massachusetts ranked 11th in the nation for solar power, generating enough electricity to power more than 584,000 average homes.
• The number of all-electric vehicles registered in Massachusetts surged from 49,400 in 2022 to 68,842 in 2023, the latest year for which numbers are available. Massachusetts ranked 12th in the nation for total number of EV registrations in 2023. 
• Massachusetts has installed a total of 8,979 electric vehicle charging ports as of 2024, up from just 1,005 in 2015. 
• The commonwealth lacked any utility-scale battery storage capacity until 2018. By 2024, the state had 290 megawatts of battery storage capacity installed, supporting the use of more renewable energy and keeping the lights on during extreme weather and times of grid stress.

In addition to highlighting state progress the report details the national renewable energy gains achieved over the past decade. According to the report, America produced more than three times as much renewable electricity from the sun and the wind in 2024 as in 2015. 

Massachusetts has a goal of producing 40% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. 

“To meet its clean energy goals, the commonwealth should reduce energy waste and pick up the pace of deployment for solar, wind and other renewable energy sources,” said Neumann.