Massachusetts Audubon Report: Solar Development Costs State 500,000 Metric Tons of Carbon, Urges Alternative Solutions.

A report from the Massachusetts Audubon Society has revealed that the state has developed 5,000 acres of natural and working lands for the purposes of solar development between 2010 and 2020, resulting in an equivalent carbon sequestration loss of over 500,000 metric tons of carbon. This loss of stored carbon works against the state’s goals of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. The report recommends encouraging a mix of rooftop solar, solar parking canopies, and solar developed on landfills and other contaminated sites, and defunct golf courses. It also suggests that with legal zoning setbacks incorporated, about 35,000 acre of Massachusetts’ 55,000 parking lots could host solar parkingCanopies. The study also found that when a valuation is placed on the stored carbon, this development scenario could lead to $940 million to $980 million in benefits.