Solar Installation Considered for Scituate, MA Landfill

Scituate, MA is one of many New England communities that are considering solar panels installed on top of a local landfill. The project would occupy about 15 acres in Scituate and it would provide the town with about 30% of its electricity needs.

Former landfills, often called brownfields, are often expensive to remediate for commercial use.  That’s why solar energy makes so much sense in these types of sites.  With little cost, a landfill can be used as a site for a large-scale solar installation.  Transforming brownfields into green energy farms is said to raise local tax bases, spur job growth, reuse existing infrastructure, and protect the environment.  According to the EPA, the United States has approximately 450,000 brownfields.  With acres and acres of unused space available, solar power is a good utilization of this space.

Although there is no firm commitment yet on the project, Scituate officials are optimistic.  They have received 9 lease proposals from Massachusetts solar installers.  The community was also considering using the area for recreational facilities.  However, being a new landfill, the space is considered unstable for these purposes.

Scituate is one of a handful towns in Massachusetts leading the charge to more renewable sources of energy.  A 1.5 megawatt wind turbine is already being built adjacent to the town’s sewage treatment plant which is expected to generate about half of the electricity need to power the town.  If the proposed solar installation moves forward, 80% of the energy would come from renewables.