UNH Alumnus, Sam Kitfield ’21, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability, has recently begun a new job as a sustainability analyst at? BlueWave Solar, an energy company that specializes in community solar and energy storage. Community solar is a way for people to access, or “subscribe”, to renewable energy that they typically wouldn’t be able to create their own (renters, people living in cities or zoning districts that don’t allow solar energy systems).?
BlueWave is also a leading dual-use solar developer in the Northeastern US. Dual-use is a form of solar that allows for energy capture and storage using the sun’s energy while utilizing the land for more than just a place for solar panels. Dual-use can come in many shapes and forms, including solar panels topping a landfill, “floatovoltaics” (panels floating on a reservoir), agrivoltaics (panels above farmland that allow for crops/grazing while producing energy), or carport canopies (panels over parking lots that offer summer shade or winter snow protection for your vehicle while producing energy). Sam’s role on the BlueWave team as a site acquisition analyst is to find and analyze potential sites for dual-use opportunities in Massachusetts. This involves talking about solar with landowners, collaborating with other teams within BlueWave about project development, and spending time analyzing policy, utility grid zones, and environmental factors that come into play (slope, tree shading, wetlands, etc.).?
During his time at UNH, Sam participated in the B Impact Clinic working with local company, Good Start Packaging to help improve their B Impact Assessment score. The B Impact Clinic is a Changemaker Collaborative?(a partnership of the Sustainability Institute, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics and the Carsey School of Public Policy)?program that connects teams of undergraduate students from all majors and disciplines to serve as consultants for regional companies that are working to complete their B Impact Assessment (BIA). The BIA is a rigorous assessment tool created by the nonprofit organization, B Lab Global, and is used to assess a company’s impact on the environment, economy, and society and is the first step in becoming a B Corp certified company. Sam credits the Clinic for furthering his understanding of sustainability in the business world. He states, “Sustainable business also incorporates the care for human beings who are connected (both internally and externally) with the business. Learning that corporations can properly care for and improve the lives of the employees and stakeholders while making profits motivated me to apply to businesses that do just that (B Corps!).” Additionally, working on an interdisciplinary team helped refine other important workplace collaboration skills such as ensuring meetings are engaging, communications are clear, and that goals are being met as a team.?
Sam states, “Being a part of a team that truly has a passion and a mission for improving the greater good is what motivates me.” He is excited to continue working with BlueWave Solar and intends to stay in the renewable industry until “we can decarbonize the grid and give everyone access to clean, reliable energy.” He enjoys spending his free time in the mountains of Maine and New Hampshire.??
The B Impact Clinic is a partnership with the New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility?. Learn more about how to get involved or to apply to participate in a future semester.??
