BlueWave, a solar developer focused on agrivoltaics, is entering New York State with three solar projects in the design phase. The installations have a total capacity of 16 MW and are all located in Johnstown, New York State.
“We have taken a deep dive into agrivoltaic energy, it is now our default land use option in our solar panels,” said Jesse Robertson-DuBois, director of sustainable development at Bluewave, told pv magazine USA.
All arrays will feature herd-friendly agrivoltaic designs that integrate sheep grazing for natural vegetation management, in line with local zoning regulations, BlueWave said.
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 panels are mounted on trackers per project. Heliene has been manufacturing solar panels in Ontario since 2010 and in Mountain Iron, Minnesota since 2018. The company is also developing a U.S. cell factory in Greater Minneapolis-St. with Premier Energies. Paul Metro Area.
The community solar structure allows local customers to sign up to support the projects, with 40% commercial and 60% residential customers. Part of the electricity will be allocated to low- and middle-income residents.
While BlueWave primarily operates in the 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 from 1 GW of cumulative installations two years ago.
The agricultural sector combines farming practices with solar photovoltaic energy production and is expected to become a $9.3 billion market by 2031. Allied analyses has said the practice can help address food security while transitioning to clean energy.
This content is copyrighted and may not be reused. If you would like to collaborate with us and reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
Popular content
