New England residents saved $130 million in energy costs during the 2026 June-July heatwave, all due to rooftop solar panels

On August 2, 2006, the temperature in Massachusetts hit 99 degrees with 65% humidity. New Englanders cranked up their air conditioners and fans like never before, setting an all-time record for electricity use on the regional grid. Historically, New England has suffered from some of the highest retail electricity costs in the US. But about two years later, around 2008-2010, the area began investing in rooftop solar panels.Driven by plummeting hardware costs, aggressive state policy mandates and high regional electricity prices, many homes installed them on their roofs. A decision made all those years ago, has now benefitted the people immensely. According to a new report from Acadia Center, during the heat wave that hit New England between June 28 and July 4, distributed solar projects contributed more than six gigawatts in electricity, saving ratepayers about $130-$149 million collectively.On July 2 alone, the report found that solar arrays saved $39 million to $54 million and solar contributed more power to the grid than the region's nuclear fleet that afternoon. The Acadia Center analysis found that the region’s rooftop solar was, at times, feeding about 25% of all electric dema...