Town Recognized for its Leadership in Clean Energy

Source: amherstma.gov

Thanks in part to local leadership to encourage clean energy growth, in 2025, Massachusetts produced the equivalent of 13% of the electricity it consumes from solar, wind and geothermal power, compared with just 4% in 2016, part of a larger transition toward clean energy technologies. That’s according to The State of Renewable Energy online dashboard showcased on Monday by Environment Massachusetts, outside Amherst’s town hall.

“I applaud the role of local leadership in helping Massachusetts make real progress in growing renewable energy over the past decade,” said Johanna Neumann, acting director of Environment Massachusetts. “To usher in a greener and healthier future, we need to keep our eyes on the prize and pick up the pace of clean energy adoption.” 

At the town hall event, advocates and local leaders highlighted the many clean energy initiatives the Town of Amherst has undertaken over the years. Amherst was one of the first 19 towns in the state to be certified as a Climate Leader Community for its early adoption of a comprehensive plan to be carbon neutral by 2050. 

Current efforts include expanding on-street EV charging infrastructure, building an energy efficient new school, renovating the Jones Library to make it energy efficient, incentivizing the adoption of energy efficient heat pumps, developing a comprehensive clean energy bylaw to facilitate the development of solar and energy storage in town, and more. 

“The Town of Amherst is committed to meeting the Massachusetts climate goals that were adopted by the Town Council as stated in the town’s 2021 Climate Action, Adaptation and Resiliency Plan,” said Stephanie Ciccarello, Director of Sustainability for Amherst.  “Every initiative we undertake moves us in the right direction and towards the ultimate goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.”

Advocates pointed to the latest state level clean energy data showing that in 2025, Massachusetts generated enough energy from the sun to power 621,084 typical homes and that there were 91,100 electric vehicles registered in Massachusetts in 2024, 25 times as many as in 2016 and more than all other New England states combined. 

“One of the very first actions of the Town Council after its formation in 2018, was to create the Energy and Climate Action Committee, and we subsequently adopted our Climate Action Goals,” said Lynn Griesemer, District 2 Town Councilor. “Under the guidance and hard work of Stephanie Ciccarello, our Director of Sustainability, Amherst has made great progress toward meeting these goals.”

According to the National Laboratory of the Rockies, Massachusetts has the technical potential to generate the equivalent of five times its electricity demand in 2025 from the sun and 16 times its annual electricity demand from the wind. 

The authors of the dashboard recommend that state & local leaders:

• Make it easier and quicker for consumers to adopt solar power at home by adopting automated online permitting platforms. In a recent Solar Permitting Scorecard, Massachusetts received a “D” for its efforts to cut red tape, but legislation has passed the state House and been referred to the Senate that could improve the state’s score. 
  
• Defend and strengthen energy efficiency standards and programs. Pending legislation on Beacon Hill includes a massive $1 billion cut to the MASS Save energy efficiency programs. This is in addition to an earlier cut of $500 million by the Department of Public Utilities, which reduced MASS Save’s three year budget for 2025-2027 to $4.5 billion.

“Investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency reduces pollution, allowing nature to thrive and all of us to live healthier lives,” added Neumann.