Every day, the sun gives Martha’s Vineyard a gift: energy. With smart policies, community involvement, and determined organizations like Vineyard Power, that solar potential is increasingly being tapped. Solar energy offers us more than just cleaner air — it’s central to building a resilient, affordable, and sustainable future for our island.
What Is Solar Energy? And Why Does It Matter?
Solar energy is simply the conversion of sunlight into electricity through photovoltaics (PV panels). It’s one of the cleanest, most abundant renewable energy sources available.
Here’s what makes it so powerful:
- Lower Carbon Emissions: Unlike fossil fuels, solar generates electricity without producing greenhouse gases.
- Long-Term Savings: Once installed, solar systems can drastically reduce electricity bills and are increasingly competitive as costs for panels, inverters, etc., come down.
- Energy Independence & Resilience: Generating electricity locally means less vulnerability to disruptions—storms, fuel price spikes, grid outages.
- Distributed Benefits: Solar can be scaled from rooftop panels for individual homes to large arrays powering municipalities or critical facilities.
- Environmental & Health Gains: Reducing fossil fuel use means cleaner air, less pollution, and fewer health impacts.
How Martha’s Vineyard Is Harnessing Solar Power
Our island isn’t waiting to take action. Vineyard Power and other partners are putting solar energy to work in several ways:
Vineyard Power’s Mission & Goals
- Vineyard Power’s vision: 100% renewable electricity, transportation, and heating by 2040 for Martha’s Vineyard.
- Tools: solar, battery storage, energy efficiency, smart grid tech, education.
Existing Solar & Community-Scale Projects
Vineyard Power has developed multiple commercial-scale solar projects. Some highlights:
| Project | Size / Type | What It Does / Who It Helps |
| Aquinnah Landfill Array (50 kW) | Solar array on capped landfill | Powers Aquinnah’s municipal load (town offices, library, etc.). |
| Cronig’s Parking Canopy Array (Down-Island, 210 kW) | Solar canopy in Cronig’s Market parking lot | Produces ~25%+ of Cronig’s electricity (equivalent to ~35 homes). |
| Chilmark Landfill Array (100 kW) | Landfill‐based array | Powers much of Chilmark municipal usage. |
| Boys & Girls Club Rooftop Array (42 kW) | Rooftop solar | Offsets 100% of that building’s electrical use (~50,000 kWh/year). |
Making Solar & Resilience Affordable & Inclusive
- Vineyard Power’s Resiliency & Affordability Program (RAP) is a multi-year fund (from their Community Benefits Agreement with Vineyard Wind) that helps critical facilities get solar + battery storage and supports income-eligible households.
- Today, RAP has committed funding to projects such as the West Tisbury Library, the Tisbury Senior Center, and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).
- Support for affordable housing: Vineyard Power is partnering with Island Housing Trust to install solar on affordable housing developments (e.g. Kuehn’s Way, Meshacket Commons, Tackenash Knoll).
- Energy Coaching & Efficiency: The island has programs to help households & businesses assess their energy use, upgrade insulation, get rebates on heat pumps etc., all part of Mass Save and through Vineyard Power’s “Energy Transition Program.”
Sun Day & The State of Solar on MV
Solar energy isn’t just something we build — it’s something we celebrate, learn about, and spread awareness of. That’s where Sun Day comes in.
What Is Sun Day?
Sun Day is a global event dedicated to solar energy and its role in the global energy transition. It aims to bring together communities, policymakers, educators, businesses, and individuals to showcase why solar matters, share knowledge, and catalyze action.
Our Island Event:
Sun Day Presentation – The State of Solar
On Martha’s Vineyard, local organizers are hosting a presentation at West Tisbury Free Public Library on Sunday, September 21, 2025 at 2:00 PM titled “The State of Solar”, as part of Sun Day. This event will:
- Review the current status of solar deployment on the Vineyard
- Highlight barriers and opportunities locally (costs, permitting, community acceptance, grid integration)
- Share what people can do for their homes, businesses, locally, as community members
Attending this event is a chance to see how our island is doing, connect with experts, and learn which pieces of the solar puzzle you can help push forward. Whether you’re considering solar for your home, interested in solar’s role in municipal or nonprofit resilience, or just want to understand more — this event will be relevant!
What You Can Do
- Attend the Sun Day – State of Solar presentation this Sunday at the West Tisbury Free Public Library to learn and engage.
- Sign up for a no-cost Energy Coaching Session via Vineyard Power to explore what solar, battery, or energy efficiency upgrades might make sense for your home or business.
- If you qualify, get involved with RAP programs or income-eligible solar / efficiency subsidies to reduce your electricity bills.
- Advocate locally by reaching out to your town or local planning boards to support zoning that allows solar, encourages community solar or utility scale solar.
- Educate yourself and your neighbors! Solar is growing and now is a great time to join the movement.
Conclusion
Solar energy is about more than just panels on roofs: it’s about local power, local resilience, and local justice. Martha’s Vineyard has already made impressive strides—but the road to 100% renewable by 2040 will require continued effort. With Sun Day as a moment to focus, and local initiatives underway, together we have the opportunity to let the sun power our homes, our lives, and our future.
