BlueWave, a leading solar developer and owner in the Northeast U.S., today celebrated five projects across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that incorporate the company’s innovative dual-use solar design and operate under the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program. The projects, which BlueWave owns and operates, are located in Palmer, Haverhill, Dighton and Douglas, and are adding 19.8 MWDC of generation and 29.7 MWhr of storage to the power grid, the equivalent of 13,000 tons of carbon emissions avoided annually.
“As a Boston-based company and certified B Corp, serving our surrounding communities is in our DNA and continues to be the driving force behind the solar development decisions we make,” said Trevor Hardy, CEO and Co-Founder of BlueWave. “The amount of energy that is being generated by these projects is meaningful, ensuring greater access to community solar projects and farmers’ continued success with their land.”
With a statewide goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 underway, renewable energy, including BlueWave’s solar and solar-plus-storage projects, will play a critical role in helping the Commonwealth and local communities reach net-zero.
"We're excited to see new and innovative clean energy projects being constructed across Massachusetts. Agrivoltaic projects like these are a creative way we can balance our clean energy targets with protecting our agricultural traditions. Congratulations to BlueWave on the launch of this initiative and to Dighton, Douglas, Haverhill, and Palmer for doing their part to fight climate change and lower energy costs for their residents,” said Governor Maura Healey.
BlueWave worked directly with farmers to implement innovative dual-use practices that offer real benefits to all parties impacted by the projects, including landowners, farmers, and surrounding community members. A large focus for BlueWave was ensuring that farmers could continue to use their land to the fullest extent. Each of the solar projects are uniquely designed to allow for uninterrupted farming operations beneath the solar arrays with sites featuring a varied selection of crops and pollinator-friendly livestock grazing operations.
“Agrivoltaics provides a pathway for a clean, just energy transition, providing renewable energy in a way that uplifts agricultural operations, creates new opportunities for farmers, and enhances the resilience of rural communities,” said Nathan L’Etoile, from American Farmland Trust (AFT). “AFT is proud to be working with an elite few of energy developers, including BlueWave, who are investing in this solution, supporting farmers and landowners, and keeping Massachusetts’s precious farmland under production.”
Lowell General Hospital has also joined forces with BlueWave for the portfolio, serving as an anchor customer for two project sites in Palmer and Haverhill. Lowell General Hospital’s participation as an anchor customer enables low-income residents to engage in clean energy opportunities – specifically, eliminating a financial barrier to support in-state clean energy generation and, in turn, lowering utility bills. As an anchor customer, Lowell General Hospital will receive 50% of the project’s energy capacity in the form of community solar bill credits, which can be applied to offset their operation’s costs and invest in sustainability projects and will ensure the solar farm remains operational for the intended lifespan.
“Since 1891 when renewable hydropower was helping to grow Lowell into the advanced city that it is today Lowell General Hospital has served the Greater Lowell and surrounding communities with the mission of empowering people to live their best lives,” said Kevin Foley, Director of Plant Operations and Property at Lowell General Hospital. “As the anchor customer of a community solar project in partnership with BlueWave, we’re able to support our community while lowering costs by utilizing the latest in state-of-the-art renewable solar energy technology, both on and off our campuses.
By signing up for a community solar subscription, residents are lowering their electricity costs and supporting a local solar farm. As the solar farm generates electricity, utilities measure the amount produced and assign that energy a dollar value in the form of a solar credit, which is applied to subscribers’ monthly electricity bills, reducing what residents owe.
The projects within the new portfolio are all expected to be operational by the end of 2024. BlueWave is also actively working to further develop projects both within the Commonwealth and in surrounding states. Currently, BlueWave has secured future solar project sites in 11 states with nearly 500 MWDC solar in active development.
