BlueWave has started working on three agrivoltaic community solar projects in Johnstown, New York, totaling 16 MW.
From pv magazine USA
BlueWave, a solar developer focused on agrivoltaics, is entering New York state with three solar projects in the design stage. The installations total 16 MW and are all in Johnstown, upstate New York.
“We’ve dug in deep on agrivoltaics, it’s now our default option for land use in our solar arrays,” Jesse Robertson-DuBois, director of sustainable development at Bluewave, told pv magazine USA.
All the arrays will feature flock-friendly agrivoltaic designs that integrate sheep grazing for natural vegetation management, aligning with local zoning, according to BlueWave.
The three projects include Kecks Center Creek at 4.19 MW (DC), Briggs Run at 6.57 MW (DC), and Indian Road Pond at 4.37 MW (DC). Nearly 30,000 Heliene solar modules will be mounted on trackers for each project. Heliene has produced solar modules in Ontario since 2010 and in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, since 2018. The company is also developing a US cell factory with Premier Energies in the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.
The community solar structure allows local customers to subscribe to support the projects, with 40% commercial and 60% residential customers. Part of the electricity will be allocated to low- and medium-income residents.
While BlueWave has been active primarily in New England states, this is its first foray into New York, a state that is an epicenter of community solar. New York hit the milestone of 1 GW of cumulative installations two years ago.
Agrivoltaics combines farming practices with solar photovoltaic energy production and is expected to become a $9.3 billion market by 2031. Allied Analytics has said that the practice can help to address food security while also transitioning to clean energy.