Building Energy SpA has begun construction on Annapolis Solar Park, a 18-MW photovoltaic system stretching over an 80-acre area occupied by a landfill in Annapolis, Maryland.
This solar park, that will use over 50,000 panels to convert sunlight into electricity, will be the largest solar project exclusively installed on a closed landfill in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Building Energy entirely owns the power plant and will operate the facility, the construction of which is expected to be completed in the spring of 2018.
The City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County and Anne Arundel County Board of Education signed a power purchase agreements for the energy produced by the facility, which will be used to power City, County and school buildings and operations. Of the plant’s total production capacity, Anne Arundel County is purchasing 50%, the City of Annapolis 33%, while the Anne Arundel County Board of Education the remaining 17%.
Several subcontracts have been awarded to local firms for the construction and operation of the plant, creating more than 100 green jobs. The project will also bring financial benefits to the City of Annapolis over the next 20 years, ensuring real energy cost savings.
The amount of electricity produced by the photovoltaic plant in 20 years will be equal to reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions from 3,168 passenger vehicles or offsetting CO2 emissions from electricity use of 2,070 homes for one year, which corresponds to 12.5% of the Annapolis annual household electricity consumption. The same energy could otherwise compensate for the equivalent amount of carbon captured by 12,334 acres of U.S. forests in one year.
Building Energy has been present in many US states since 2013 with more than 500 MW of projects under development, spread across different renewable energy technologies.
Fabrizio Zago, CEO of Building Energy, stated, “We are proud to begin construction of the solar park and to celebrate it with the representatives from the Annapolis community. Building Energy, as owner of the entire solar asset, funded the development costs of the project, is responsible for the construction and operation of the facility and arranged a 36-million-dollar financial transaction through one of the largest financial services corporations in the US. This project represents a new success for our company, which is active along the entire chain of the renewable energy industry, from the development to the operation of renewable energy assets, in US and abroad.”
News item from Building Energy
My understanding is that landfills are off limits for living – think Love Canal. However you can walk there, pass through, etc. Ground growth:. I would think anything low light would work. Though nothing for eatable consumion. But ie: a grain/plant -> alcohol -> fuel.
Everyone, please remember that this is on top of a closed landfill. There are restrictions on what can be planted on a capped landfill, if this landfill is indeed capped. You can read a more local story on this project here: https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2017/07/31/multi-million-dollar-solar-energy-park-in.html
To the two above replies.
Is there no sunlight flanking the panels? I assume they tilt. Thus, perhaps this becomes an agriculture opportunity to provide low light thriving vegetation even crops assuming the panels can be elevated enough to work under and some point of the day or night. We might miss one opportunity, how can we then maximize the benefit of the situation. Aquaponic systems perhaps?
dear Kelly,
Enphase always provides us with a carbon capture equivalent in their monthly output reports and also the equivalent in the number of trees. It is not clear what the basis of this is. Since this article referenced an equivalent of over 12,000 acres of forest being offset by an 80 acre solar park the question is whether there is some international standard for comparing the net carbon capture equivalent for a “standard” tree?
Assuming no vegetation grows under the 80-acres of solar panels, how many units of CO2 are not converted to how many units of O2 due to the fact that there is no plant life there?
Thank you.