Route 2 Highway in Lexington Adopts New Solar Canopy
In the upcoming year, a mile-long, 5 megawatt solar canopy will be built on a portion of the Route 2 highway in the program dubbed the “Green Mile”. This project will be the first of its kind in the United States.
The project will be run by Solway, with the notion first suggested by Iredale and James McAuliffe to former governor Charlie Baker. He was supportive of the concept, but it was put aside for the time being due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When building a solar canopy, contractors must find a region of land that is both close to a major city and unused. A chunk of land that fits these requirements is limited, and is mostly disconnected, making it unfit for large-scale development.
The spark for the Green Mile occurred when Iredale and James were working under a different solar corporation that was building solar canopies over MBTA parking lots. Iredale noticed that highway medians were large pieces of unused land that were occasionally close to cities. “‘Look at this land in the middle of Lexington, and all of these other communities, that is just ripe for solar.”
Solway has been working with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, or MassDOT, to turn the Green Mile into reality. “Solar is the fastest and most affordable way to bring clean energy to Massachusetts — and MassDOT is proud to be part of the solution,” Monica Tibbits‑Nutt, secretary and CEO of MassDOT, said.
MassDOT also stated that the land required for the Green Mile had to pass strict requirements. “It’s a really nice site,” said McAuliffe. “There are no wetlands, wildlife, or nature issues.”
Furthermore, unlike some nearby towns, Lexington’s power supply does not consist of a large percentage of solar. Thus, this project will also put less strain on the local power grid.
Solway will lease the land needed for the Green Mile from the state for the next 20 years with support from the state’s SMART program, which is an incentive program for both solar owners and outside investors.
However, with the passing of the Big Beautiful Bill and the removal of the solar tax credit, which promotes the building of additional solar panels by providing a 30% credit to all solar projects, the Green Mile may come under danger due to a lack of funding.
Luckily, Trump’s new policy won’t come into effect before July 4, 2026, and Iredale and McAuliffe are confident construction on their pilot program will be underway before then.
Solway plans for the Green Mile to be finished by the fall of 2026.
Data shows that up to 398 more miles of highway may support this kind of solar canopy in just the state of Massachusetts. James says, “If we could do all 400 miles, that’s equal to about one nuclear power plant…which could power hundreds of thousands of homes.”
If successful, the Green Mile may set an example of clean energy for the rest of the nation.
For more information, Solway will host a virtual public meeting on Thursday, July 17, from 6 to 7 p.m. to get the word about their project out to the residents of Lexington.