Brownfields to Brightfields - Turning Landfills into Clean Energy Assets with Annika Colston | EP199

Clean Power Hour

America's thousands of closed landfills represent a massive untapped opportunity to generate clean solar power. These unused brownfield sites, which are often seen as burdens on their local communities, have the potential to be transformed into renewable energy assets that provide a range of benefits. In this episode, Tim Montague explores the possibilities and challenges of developing solar farms on retired landfills with guest Annika Colston, founder and president of AC Power.
Annika explains that there are over 10,000 closed landfills in the US that could generate up to an estimated 63 GW of solar power if converted to solar farms. However, building solar on landfills involves additional costs and complexities compared to traditional ground-mounted or rooftop installations.
Despite the obstacles, a growing number of states like New York, New Jersey, and Illinois have recognized the opportunity and enacted policies and incentives to spur solar development in landfills. These programs help offset the extra costs associated with landfill solar projects.
When executed successfully, landfill solar can yield a range of win-wins. The projects generate clean renewable energy, provide a new revenue stream for the landfill owner, reduce ongoing vegetation management costs, and improve underutilized sites that may have been seen as community eyesores.
The episode concludes with a call to action for local leaders and community members to identify and advocate for solar development on idle landfill sites in their own backyards. As Annika puts it: "We should be telling our communities to go out there and develop them."

Key Points:

• There are over 10,000 closed US landfills that could be converted to generate 63 GW of solar
• Landfill solar involves extra costs and complexity but also major opportunities
• Some states have policies/incentives to spur landfill solar development (NY, NJ, IL, PA, VA)
• Benefits include clean energy, revenues, lower maintenance costs, and community improvements
• Local leaders are urged to pursue solar development on their communities' landfills

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Annika Colston
AC Power

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The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com