Kearsarge Energy has hired GZA, a multi-disciplinary firm providing geotechnical, environmental, ecological, water and construction management services, to support the brownfield development of a new 3-MW solar energy farm in Montague, Massachusetts.
The system will include over 7,000 PV panels across 10.3 acres, coupled with energy storage capacity, capping a long-abandoned landfill in the Western Massachusetts community. While most of the solar panels will be ballasted atop the landfill, 300 kW of solar capacity will be installed as canopies that placed over a parking area.
As an integral part of the project, 7.6 acres of the landfill will be permanently closed and secured to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection standards.
“Solar energy, landfill closings and construction-site engineering support are three core capabilities of GZA, and it’s an exciting opportunity and honor for us to deploy all three to support Kearsarge Energy and the Town of Montague in this ‘brownfield to brightfield’ project,” said GZA CEO Patrick Sheehan.
“The uncapped landfill has been a liability to the town for more than two decades and presented a major capital expenditure to implement the ‘Corrective Action Design,'” said Walter Ramsey, Montague town planner and conservation agent. “This project will improve water quality and generate renewable energy, all while offsetting a major capital expense outlay by the municipality. This is a model for how public-private partnerships should be done in the solar industry.”
The Montague solar project marks over 2,400 MW of solar development support for GZA. The company is currently working on more than 25 solar energy projects in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New York for multiple clients on sites including landfills, rooftops, parking garages, greenfield developments, and multi-use properties.
“We are pleased to work with GZA on completing this project and further extending our partnership with the Town of Montague in helping to get this brownfield capped,” said Andrew Bernstein, managing partner at Kearsarge. “GZA is an excellent partner and we look forward to working them on this project as well as others in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.”
News item from GZA
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