Press Release: 5/14/2026

The Sixth Cohort of LISC MA's STAR Program Has Kicked Off!

5.12.2026 



Boston, MA - LISC Massachusetts, Resonant Energy, and the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) are pleased to announce the participants in the sixth cohort of the Solar Technical Assistance Retrofit (STAR) Program. The STAR program, launched in 2021, provides owners of affordable housing properties in Massachusetts with technical and financial assistance to explore solar photovoltaic (PV) potential and break down existing barriers to adoption. To date, the program has helped 67 housing organizations analyze their solar feasibility, and this year, 21 organizations—including nonprofit community development organizations, public housing authorities, and private owner/developers — have joined the initiative.



Throughout the course of the program, the STAR team has analyzed 3,200+ sites for solar feasibility, leading to approximately 14.2 megawatts of solar deployment benefitting over 27,000 residents across the Commonwealth. These projects are projected to save housing owners over $54 million in the next 25 years—the typical lifespan of solar PV systems. Collectively, the STAR program has reduced emissions across Massachusetts equivalent to preserving 7,400 acres of forest.



"The Arlington Housing Authority is grateful to have been able to participate in the LISC STAR V Solar Program.” said Jack Nagle, Executive Director of the Arlington Housing Authority.“Not only did it provide us with the ability to understand the potential to add solar panels within our portfolio, the support and technical expertise provided by LISC and Resonant Energy resulted in the AHA being able to request and successfully receive funding from EOHLC that will allow us to move forward with three solar projects. Adding solar at these sites will help in our efforts to electrify our portfolio as well as consider Deep Energy Retrofits."



"HLC is proud to support the STAR Program’s sixth cohort and help expand access to solar opportunities for state public housing communities across Massachusetts,” said Greg Abbe, Senior Climate Programs Specialist at the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. “This work can help housing providers evaluate solar opportunities, reduce operating costs, and strengthen the long-term sustainability of public housing communities.”



“Despite recent federal headwinds against solar, the STAR team has never been more motivated to unlock the benefits of solar energy for our affordable housing partners,” said Isaac Baker, Co-CEO of Resonant Energy. “The combination of rising energy costs and robust state level incentives continues to make a strong case for solar deployment across Massachusetts, and we are in an all-out sprint to help developers lock in federal incentives still in place between now and July 4, 2026 to maximize installations at as many new and existing housing sites as possible.”



“LISC Massachusetts is thrilled to continue our longstanding partnership with Resonant Energy and MACDC on the STAR program,” said Gustavo Quiroga, Executive Director of LISC Massachusetts. “While key federal incentives are phasing out, I am incredibly proud of how our team has moved proactively to ensure that as many Massachusetts affordable housing partners as possible can still benefit from solar energy projects this year. It’s this focus and determination to help housing owners and developers plan for a sustainable and resilient energy future that has led the STAR program to achieve such meaningful energy cost savings for more than 27,000 residents in communities across the state.”



"HLC is proud to support the STAR Program’s sixth cohort and help expand access to solar opportunities for state public housing communities across Massachusetts. This work can help housing providers evaluate solar opportunities, reduce operating costs, and strengthen the long-term sustainability of public housing communities.”



— Greg Abbe, Senior Climate Programs Specialist at the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities



This year’s STAR program is made possible by generous funding from Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s (MassCEC) EmPower MA Program and the Jampart Charitable Trust.



“Programs like STAR show what’s possible when targeted technical assistance meets strong partnerships,” said Lisa Dobbs, Senior Program Manager at MassCEC. “By helping affordable housing providers move from early analysis to real projects, STAR is unlocking long-term energy cost savings and enabling more communities to take advantage of solar where it makes financial sense. Through EmPower Massachusetts, MassCEC is proud to support this work and help scale proven models that deliver real value to affordable housing owners and residents across the state.”



In the past years, the STAR program has primarily served private housing developers, public housing authorities, and begun working with property management companies serving this market. This year, Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) is joining the program as the first state agency to participate and facilitate solar technical assistance and projects for state public housing communities across the Commonwealth. This year’s technical analysis will be focused upon ensuring that participants are able to lock in solar tax credit incentives through safe harboring mechanisms ahead of the federal July 4, 2026 deadline to do so.



Phase VI Participants:




  • 2Life Communities

  • Arx Urban

  • Attleboro Housing Authority

  • Beverly Housing Authority

  • Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation

  • Easton Housing Authority

  • Hebrew SeniorLife

  • Holbrook Housing Authority

  • Housing Assistance Corporation

  • Millis Housing Authority

  • NewVue Communities

  • Norton Housing Authority

  • Pittsfield Housing Authority

  • Planning Office for Urban Affairs

  • Seekonk Housing Authority

  • The Neighborhood Developers

  • VNA of Eastern Massachusetts

  • Waltham Housing Authority

  • Whitman Housing Authority

  • Wilbraham Housing Authority

  • Winthrop Housing Authority



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About LISC Massachusetts



Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) works to forge resilient communities of opportunity across America – great places to live, work, visit, do business, and raise families. LISC Massachusetts is one of 34 local LISC offices across the country, leveraging the scale and expertise of one of the nation’s largest CDFIs to finance, support, and enable local solutions to critical housing and community development challenges across the state. Since 2009, LISC Massachusetts’ Green Homes Initiative has helped drive funding and technical assistance to the affordable housing sector, aligning incentives to help owners maximize the energy efficiency of their properties, integrate appropriate renewable energy technologies, lower energy use and associated impacts, and provide healthy homes to residents.



About Resonant Energy 



Resonant Energy is a community-based solar provider that believes that everyone has a right to clean affordable solar. We help under-invested communities take their place at the forefront of the global transition to clean energy. Through partnerships with local nonprofits, we deliver high-quality solar arrays for houses of worship, affordable housing providers, and homeowners — regardless of income. Thanks to our network of local investors, we are making solar power accessible for low-income households and nonprofits at no upfront cost, and in some cases, at no cost at all. We currently serve communities in Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut.



About MACDC 



The Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) is a membership organization that seeks to build and sustain a high-performing and adaptive community development sector that is supported by private and public investment and sound public policies. We advance racial and economic equity by creating healthy communities where everyone lives in housing they can afford, benefits from economic opportunities, and can fully participate in the civic life of their community.