BlueWave Solar’s Eric Graber-Lopez P’20 Visits Environmental Science Students
On January 30, seniors in Mrs. Carroll’s Environmental Science class were visited by Eric Graber-Lopez P’20, the president and co-founder of BlueWave Solar, a certified B Corporation with the goal of bringing clean solar power to every community.
As president of the company, Mr. Graber-Lopez is involved in all aspects of BlueWave’s development activity and project financing, with great success: between 2015 and 2018, BlueWave has been named to Boston Business Journal‘s list of the top 50 fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts, reaching the top spot in 2019 after reporting 923 percent revenue growth. But revenue isn’t BlueWave’s only goal.
“We put our money where our mouth is,” says Mr. Graber-Lopez. “You can make very easy decisions if all you’re thinking about is money. But money isn’t everything—we add two additional lenses. The second lens is social impact: ‘What is it that we’re doing every day as a business, as members of our community, to actually help make things better?’… The third and most important, which is why you’re taking this class, is environmental… It’s about thinking about our impact on the world. What we’re leaving behind.”
After his presentation, Mr. Graber-Lopez answered questions about advancements in solar technology, the economics of solar energy, and (for soon-to-be college students) what it takes to work at a company like BlueWave.
“We talk about ourselves as the BlueWave family,” says Mr. Graber-Lopez. “We struggle, fight, and succeed together, so what we look for are people who have the same principles and who want to learn… we have people who are environmentalists… we have people who have studied environmental science, urban planning, or public policy… I was a history major in undergrad, and I earned an MBA, so I straddle both worlds… Find something that you’re passionate about and pursue it… in this industry what matters is creativity and a willingness to work hard.”