Landfill Produces Solar Power

In an innovative, bold move, an old, no longer operational landfill located in Hartford, Connecticut, will be re-purposed and “recycled” to produce a quantity of electricity sufficient enough to power over one thousand area homes on a day with average temperatures and adequate sunlight.

A six acre section of the Hartford landfill will become the launching site of a new solar power generation project. Photovoltaic panels will be mounted on special artificial turf with the final project being completed and producing energy by October 1 of 2013.

The state of Connecticut opened the Hartford landfill over seventy years ago in 1940. The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority began leasing the site in 1982 and deposited municipal waste there until 1988. At that time, the location switched from solid waste to accepting incinerator ash from another waste-to-energy landfill. The location was used in this manner until 2008 when it was closed. The space has been used since that time.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Just as it’s a smart idea to look at the garbage your business is producing to see where recycling and re-use can make a difference, it’s also good to look at unused or underutilized space to see if it can be used for generating energy and income!