A capped landfill in Mount Olive, New Jersey, which has been listed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Priorities List of Superfund sites since 1982 is set to rewrite its legacy as a community solar installation.
The 25.6 MW project, considerably large as far as community solar installations go, is being developed by CEP Renewables on the site of the former Combe Fill North Landfill Superfund site. The EPA’s Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of the nation’s most contaminated land and responding to environmental emergencies, oil spills and natural disasters.
Once complete, the project will be among the largest solar installations developed on a capped landfill in the nation, and will provide clean power for over 4,000 homes. Furthermore, assuming the project was awarded under one of the first two rounds of New Jersey’s community solar pilot program, more than half of the customers who receive power from the installation will be low- and middle-income customers.
One of the core missions of the EPA’s Superfund program is to make tangible, long-lasting changes to the communities that surround these heavily contaminated areas, and providing access to clean energy and bill savings for residents who have been subject to the adverse effects of an improperly-closed landfill is certainly a start.
As of now there is no public timetable for project development and construction, nor has it been made available what hardware CEP Renewables plans to use on the installation. The project is expected to help Mount Olive recoup nearly $2.3 million in past taxes.
