BlueWave, a solar energy developer and proprietor within the U.S. Northeast, introduced 5 initiatives throughout Massachusetts that incorporate the corporate’s revolutionary dual-use photo voltaic design and function underneath the Photo voltaic Massachusetts Renewable Goal (SMART) Program.
BlueWave mentioned the installations introduced August 22 are situated in Palmer, Haverhill, Dighton, and Douglas. The websites have 19.8 MW of era capability, together with 29.7 kWh of vitality storage that will probably be added to the native energy grid.
“As a Boston-based firm and licensed B Corp, serving our surrounding communities is in our DNA and continues to be the driving pressure behind the photo voltaic growth selections we make,” mentioned Trevor Hardy, CEO and co-founder of BlueWave. “The quantity of vitality that’s being generated by these initiatives is significant, guaranteeing larger entry to neighborhood photo voltaic initiatives and farmers’ continued success with their land.”
With a statewide aim of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 underway, renewable vitality, together with BlueWave’s photo voltaic and solar-plus-storage initiatives, will play a vital function in serving to the Commonwealth and native communities attain net-zero.
“We’re excited to see new and revolutionary clear vitality initiatives being constructed throughout Massachusetts. Agrivoltaic initiatives like these are a artistic means we are able to steadiness our clear vitality targets with defending our agricultural traditions. Congratulations to BlueWave on the launch of this initiative and to Dighton, Douglas, Haverhill, and Palmer for doing their half to struggle local weather change and decrease vitality prices for his or her residents,” mentioned Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey.
BlueWave labored straight with farmers to implement revolutionary dual-use practices that supply actual advantages to all events impacted by the initiatives, together with landowners, farmers, and surrounding neighborhood members. A big focus for BlueWave was guaranteeing that farmers may proceed to make use of their land to the fullest extent. Every of the photo voltaic initiatives are uniquely designed to permit for uninterrupted farming operations beneath the photo voltaic arrays with websites that includes a diversified number of crops and pollinator-friendly livestock grazing operations.
“Agrivoltaics gives a pathway for a clear, simply vitality transition, offering renewable vitality in a means that uplifts agricultural operations, creates new alternatives for farmers, and enhances the resilience of rural communities,” mentioned Nathan L’Etoile, from American Farmland Belief (AFT). “AFT is proud to be working with an elite few of vitality builders, together with BlueWave, who’re investing on this resolution, supporting farmers and landowners, and preserving Massachusetts’s valuable farmland underneath manufacturing.”
Lowell Basic Hospital has additionally joined forces with BlueWave for the portfolio, serving as an anchor buyer for 2 undertaking websites in Palmer and Haverhill. Lowell Basic Hospital’s participation as an anchor buyer allows low-income residents to have interaction in clear vitality alternatives—particularly, eliminating a monetary barrier to assist in-state clear vitality era and, in flip, reducing utility payments. As an anchor buyer, Lowell Basic Hospital will obtain 50% of the undertaking’s vitality capability within the type of neighborhood photo voltaic invoice credit, which will be utilized to offset their operation’s prices and put money into sustainability initiatives and can make sure the photo voltaic farm stays operational for the supposed lifespan.
“Since 1891 when renewable hydropower was serving to to develop Lowell into the superior metropolis that it’s at present, Lowell Basic Hospital has served the Better Lowell and surrounding communities with the mission of empowering folks to dwell their greatest lives,” mentioned Kevin Foley, director of Plant Operations and Property at Lowell Basic Hospital. “Because the anchor buyer of a neighborhood photo voltaic undertaking in partnership with BlueWave, we’re capable of assist our neighborhood whereas reducing prices by using the newest in state-of-the-art renewable photo voltaic vitality expertise, each on and off our campuses.
By signing up for a neighborhood photo voltaic subscription, residents are reducing their electrical energy prices and supporting a neighborhood photo voltaic farm. Because the photo voltaic farm generates electrical energy, utilities measure the quantity produced and assign that vitality a greenback worth within the type of a photo voltaic credit score, which is utilized to subscribers’ month-to-month electrical energy payments, lowering what residents owe.
The initiatives inside the new portfolio are all anticipated to be operational by the top of 2024. BlueWave can also be actively working to additional develop initiatives each inside the Commonwealth and in surrounding states. At present, BlueWave has secured future photo voltaic undertaking websites in 11 states with almost 500 MWDC photo voltaic in energetic growth.
—POWER edited this text, which was contributed by 360PR+.
