A new report says solar energy has saved Vermonters $79 million and New Englanders $1.1 billion in just six years. 

That narrative runs counter to the long-running contention from utilities that solar development is driving up retail electricity prices for ratepayers. The study by Synapse Energy Economics, an environmental research and consulting firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was commissioned by three solar industry groups: Renewable Energy Vermont, Vote Solar, and Clean Energy NH. 

The state’s largest utility, Green Mountain Power, and the Vermont Public Power Supply Authority say the Synapse study is based on inaccurate assumptions. 

Read Amanda Gokee’s full December 20, 2020 story at VTDigger.