Massachusetts solar in numbers, 2024
Every figure below is computed by us from the Form EIA-861 annual files. Ranks are out of 51 jurisdictions, highest first.
| Measure | Massachusetts | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Households with a metered rooftop system189,611 systems across 2,924,535 residential accounts | 6.48% | 8th of 51 |
| Average system sizeNational average 6.74 kW | 6.88 kW | 37th of 51 |
| Residential priceDerived average across the state, not a tariff | 29.35¢/kWh | 3rd of 51 |
| Consumption per accountWhat a system here is typically sized against | 6,836 kWh/yr | 47th of 51 |
| Systems with a battery2,528 paired systems | 1.33% | 27th of 51 |
| Third-party ownedLeased or under a power purchase agreement | 57.2% | 1st of 51 |
| Five-year growth30,323 systems added in 2024 | 14.8%/yr | 42nd of 51 |
| Installed capacityResidential net-metered capacity | 1,304.6 MW | — |
What the adoption figure means
A mature market by national standards, which usually means several credible installers to compare and a permitting process that is not learning on your job.
Residential electricity in Massachusetts averaged 29.35¢ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, 3rd of 51 and above the national average of 16.48¢. Among the most expensive residential electricity in the country, which is the strongest single reason adoption rises: what you avoid paying is the value of every kilowatt-hour you use on site. Prices and adoption across all 51.
System size and consumption
The average Massachusetts system was 6.88 kW in 2024, ranking 37th of 51. Households consumed an average of 6,836 kilowatt-hours a year (47th of 51) — the figure a system here is sized against.
Size your own system from your own kilowatt-hours, not from this average — how to do that.
Who owns the systems
57.2% of Massachusetts systems were third-party owned in 2024 — leased or under a power purchase agreement rather than owned by the householder. That is 1st of 51.
Leases and power purchase agreements are the default way solar is sold here. Read any agreement closely before assuming you will own what goes on your roof. Who claims the federal credit · ownership across all 51.
Battery attachment
1.33% of Massachusetts solar systems were paired with a battery in 2024, 27th of 51 — 2,528 paired systems.
Attachment is around the middle — storage is a live option here rather than a default. Attachment across all 51 · does a battery belong in your project.
Where the market is going
Massachusetts added 30,323 systems in 2024 and has grown at 14.8% a year over five years, 42nd of 51. Where growth has turned.
Solar companies and licensing in Massachusetts
We checked 55 Massachusetts solar companies against the state licence register. 18.2% did not hold a current licence at the time of checking — 10 expired.
How to verify a licence before you sign.
Method
Figures are computed by HyreSolar from the Form EIA-861 2024 annual files — net-metered residential systems only, penetration counted against residential accounts, sizes as means. EIA publishes the inputs, not these ratios. Full methodology and the underlying CSV.
None of these figures is an estimate for your property. What to work through before you talk to anyone.
Common questions
How many homes in Massachusetts have solar?
189,611 residential net-metered systems were recorded in Massachusetts in 2024, against 2,924,535 residential electricity accounts — 6.48% of households, 8th of 51 jurisdictions. That is a HyreSolar calculation from Form EIA-861.
What size solar system is typical in Massachusetts?
The average net-metered residential system in Massachusetts was 6.88 kW in 2024, against a national average of 6.74 kW. Your own system should be sized from twelve months of your kilowatt-hours and your usable roof, not from a state average.
Do people in Massachusetts add batteries to solar?
1.33% of Massachusetts systems were paired with storage in 2024, 27th of 51. Battery attachment tracks outage frequency and export rules more than it tracks sunshine.
Is Massachusetts a good state for solar?
On the measures we can compute: residential electricity averages 29.35¢/kWh (3rd of 51), households use 6,836 kWh a year (47th of 51), and 6.48% have installed a system (8th of 51). Retail price and export rules move the answer far more than sunshine does, and both are set by your specific utility rather than by the state.
Source: US EIA, Form EIA-861, 2024 final release, retrieved 2 September 2026. Figures marked as a HyreSolar calculation are derived by us and are not official EIA statistics.