A 2.25-MW solar array atop a closed and capped municipal landfill in Derry, New Hampshire, is now online. The project was developed by Encore Renewable Energy and is expected to save Derry taxpayers an estimated $4 million in electricity costs over the next 25 years.

The project is part of a broader trend of communities looking to reuse capped landfills and other constrained sites for solar development, where the land is already cleared and typically unsuitable for other uses. In this case, Encore said the site’s acreage, sun exposure and proximity to electrical infrastructure made it a viable fit for a distributed energy project that can serve local demand without requiring undeveloped land.

“Landfills like this one are often untapped resources in the clean energy transition,” said Chad Farrell, Founder and President of Encore Renewable Energy. “The reality is that landfills such as this one in Derry offer cleared, unshaded land that can’t be used for much else. This site checks every box: sufficient acreage, good sun exposure, and proximity to the electrical infrastructure needed to get that power where it’s needed. Rather than continuing to sit idle, this property will now be generating power for the local community, offering both cost savings and increased energy security for local Eversource NH ratepayers. This project shows what’s possible when a community looks at land it already owns in a new way.”

The project traces back to the Derry NetZero Task Force, an all-volunteer committee of engineers, business owners and town representatives that spent six years developing the plan, benchmarking energy use across 40 town and school buildings while building support for the required state legislative action. The Town of Derry selected Encore from a field of seven firms through a competitive bidding process in 2021.

“Under the leadership of Josh Bourdon, the Derry Town Council set forth an aggressive goal of being net zero by 2025 but with a caveat of saving money for the residents of Derry,” said Jeff Moulton, chair of the Derry NetZero Task Force. “I am pleased to have led a dedicated group of volunteers who were able to put together a design and project that will provide 100% of the town’s electricity needs for the next 25 years, while saving the town $5-10 million over the life of the project.”

News item from Encore