Council authorizes 20‑year BlueWave contract to deliver solar discounts to income‑eligible residents

The Salem City Council on April 23 authorized the mayor to enter a 20‑year contract with Boston‑based BlueWave and to establish a revolving fund to collect incentive payments to support solar projects that deliver energy savings to income‑eligible residents.

"It's an exciting one that we're hoping we'll authorize the contract for and the revolving fund," said Veil Duffy, introduced to the council as the director of sustainability and resiliency. Duffy described the proposal as an add‑on to Salem Power Choice: customers enrolled in Salem Power Choice and in National Grid’s income‑eligible program would automatically receive an added discount to their supply rate.

Councilors framed the vote as advancing local climate goals while directing benefits to households with lower incomes. Councilor Taroschi and others said municipal aggregation and these partnerships keep money in-state and reduce the city's carbon footprint.

The council conducted a roll‑call vote and recorded 10 in favor, none opposed. Councilors noted that because the contract exceeds typical short‑term procurement periods (3–5 years), the charter requires full council authorization.

Next steps: The mayor is authorized to execute the contract and staff will establish the revolving fund to manage incentive payments and program administration.