Clean Energy Collective (CEC) has announced that Next Step Living, the Boston-based provider of whole-home energy solutions, is an authorized agent to sell CEC's community solar solutions to Massachusetts customers in WMECo and NGRID territories.

The agreement combines the Next Step Living whole-home approach to affordable and accessible energy solutions with CEC's rapidly growing community-owned solar expertise in order to accelerate solar adoption in Massachusetts. Next Step Living estimates that most of its almost 75,000 customers can't go solar with traditional rooftop solar, making CEC's community solar an especially attractive solution for both new and existing customers.

"We are proud to partner with an innovative company like Next Step Living," said CEC President Paul Spencer. "This new strategic relationship immediately magnifies our customer reach to serve the growing demand for community solar in Massachusetts."

CEC has 2 MW of community solar under construction in Massachusetts and another 10 MW under development.

The first projects, coming online next month, are the 997 kW Western Massachusetts Community Solar Array in Hadley, Mass. serving ratepayers in the WMECo territory, and the 997 kW Southeastern Massachusetts Community Solar Array in Rehoboth, Mass. serving National Grid customers. Ratepayers interested in cutting their electricity costs can learn more at MassCommunitySolar.com or NextStepLiving.com/CommunitySolar.

CEC's community-owned solar model enables 100 percent of a utility's ratepayers - including businesses, governments, renters, nonprofits, those with shaded properties, and people of all income levels - the opportunity to own locally produced clean energy. Community solar customers receive similar rebates and incentives of rooftop, or co-located, systems.

Shared utility-scale arrays are also sited to operate at peak efficiency, delivering about 15 percent more power generation than traditional rooftop systems,. Additionally, every purchase comes with a comprehensive operations and maintenance program to ensure optimum performance for decades to come.

"We are excited to expand our whole-home approach to energy efficiency with the addition of community solar from CEC," said Next Step Living founder and CEO Geoff Chapin.

"We know that 80 percent of Massachusetts residents that would like to 'go solar' haven't been able to. Community solar is a game changer and really democratizes renewable energy. It no longer matters that people rent, live in a multi-unit property or have the wrong roof orientation or too much shade."

Next Step Living, just named the fastest-growing private company in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal, employs 800 energy advisors and operations, sales and community-relations personnel; it has more than tripled its staff over four years as homeowner demand increases for help in reducing utility costs and avoiding harmful environmental impacts.