How solar installations give new life to blighted brownfields

Global Sanitary Landfill Solar Project, Old Bridge Township. (Credit: AC Power)

Contributed by Kyle Miller, Chief of Staff; and Gina Wolfman, Project Development Team Lead; AC Power

In Old Bridge Township, New Jersey, what was once an abandoned waste site now has a new lease on life. Designated a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Global Sanitary Landfill has been a burden to the Township for decades. Today, however, solar panels line the landscape, offering clean energy to the surrounding community.

AC Power, a mission-driven solar development company, has announced the ribbon cutting for the Global Sanitary Landfill solar project on Tuesday, November 28th at 12 p.m. ET, located at Global Access Road, Parlin, NJ. This initiative is an example of how landfills and other contaminated sites reenergize communities and drive the clean energy transition.

Over the next 30 years, the Global Sanitary Landfill project will quietly generate more than $1.2 million for the Township, power around 400 homes with reduced-cost electricity – 51 percent of which will support low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents.

But this achievement did not happen overnight.

Reenergizing communities with solar — one Brownfield at a time

Brownfields are broadly defined as blighted lands that have suffered environmental contamination, complicating their redevelopment or expansion. While some may condemn these sites to the waste bin of history, many of the 450,000+ brownfields in the U.S. are ripe with repurposing potential. Remediating and redeveloping these properties not only supports environmental and human health, but also stimulates local economies and fosters resilient, connected communities.

“Brightfields”—the colloquial term for brownfields redeveloped into solar projects—are a particularly novel opportunity to reinvest in formerly disturbed areas and relieve the surrounding areas of a significant burden. Research indicates that 190,000 U.S. brownfield sites are eligible for brightfield conversion, offering hundreds of gigawatts of renewable energy potential. Over 10,000 of these sites are inactive landfills – which alone could power nearly eight million homes. Many of these sites, though, sat unused for decades.

In the mid-2010s, Annika Colston saw an opportunity to turn these inactive landfills into clean energy assets, given the declining cost of solar technology and the rise of solar-friendly policies. Where some viewed contaminated sites as low-value land, Colston — with her more than 20+ years of development experience — saw their clean energy and economic potential. In 2016, she founded AC Power for this purpose.

The company’s mission is to reenergize communities with solar, one brownfield at a time. Today, where environmental stewardship and community ties are critical, the dumping grounds of years past can be glowing beacons of future hope. Today, AC Power has an active development pipeline of more than 200 MW.

But this was not just a simple brownfield site.

Global Sanitary Landfill was opened in 1968 and its 57.5 acres served Old Bridge until heavy rainfall and high tides triggered a slope failure in 1984. This loss of structural integrity exposed waste to the broader environment, breaching the landfill’s perimeter and contaminating the surrounding wetlands. In 1989, further site excavation revealed illegally dumped drums of hazardous waste, and the site was placed on the EPA Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is EPA’s list of the most serious abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country. These sites pose the greatest risk to local populations and the environment.

Over the next 30 years, the Global Sanitary Landfill Superfund site required continuous monitoring, modifications, and cleanup. In the past decade, site review determined that remedial action has been successfully completed, and environmental monitoring and maintenance have been ongoing. But the complicated nature of the site, such as access restrictions and environmental concerns, meant the area sat undeveloped — until now.

AC Power executes solar sites every year and saw immense potential in the Global Sanitary Landfill site. Choosing a formerly-disturbed site requires that the land can support a solar facility and also benefit the environment and surrounding community. The Global Sanitary Landfill’s location and contamination disqualified it from any residential, commercial, or recreational use, but perfectly met AC Power’s development criteria.

In 2021, the project was awarded 2.8 MW-dc of capacity as part of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ highly competitive Community Solar Pilot Program. The array would provide renewable energy access and reduced electricity costs for residents who are unable to install solar at their home.  Global Sanitary Landfill was on its way to supporting New Jersey’s 2050 100 percent clean energy and energy accessibility goals.

Nevertheless, executing such a project is easier said than done, and it wasn’t a solo effort.

“This project would not have been realized without the support of dozens of partners including Old Bridge Township, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. EPA, and AC Power’s committed consultants and engineers,” says CEO Annika Colston. “Despite countless reasons why this project was just too complicated, this group of dedicated stakeholders persevered.”

These strategic collaborations determined that the ideal project would revitalize the land, support accessible renewable power, and also include a local workforce development program.

Jared Fredericks, the project manager at civil engineering firm FWH Associates, helped explain the mechanics of placing an array on a landfill cap:

When carefully designed, “community solar programs are fantastic. It is a great use of unused property, to be able to put solar on top of landfill caps and provide benefits to the community surrounding it through better energy costs. Being a part of these projects is amazing.”

The Global Sanitary Landfill solar project also provides opportunities for community workforce growth. AC Power partnered with Solar One, an environmental STEM education organization, to develop high school and college-level career readiness programs. High school internship participants receive non-profit and corporate renewable energy experience, and college students obtain North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners certification training at County College of Morris. AC Power provides funding to sponsor coursework and exams for local students.

Max Levitzke, Senior Director of Green Workforce at Solar One, calls this partnership “a commitment to nurturing the next generation of green energy leaders…Together, we’re redefining the future of clean energy and ensuring that our youth are at the forefront of this transformative journey.”

Overall, the Global Sanitary Landfill solar project has been a case study in strategic partnerships, the importance of state incentives, stewardship, integrity, tenacity, and patience. AC Power is proud to deploy a project with such a unique fingerprint on its community and surrounding organizations. The project’s owner and operator, NJR Clean Energy Ventures, speaks excitedly about bringing this complex solar initiative to fruition.

“With projects like Old Bridge…we are committed to repurposing brownfields and other beneficial use sites to create clean energy. Any time we can transform underutilized space to produce renewable energy to benefit customers and advance the state’s clean energy goals, it is a win-win for all.”

The project’s owner and operator, NJR Clean Energy Ventures (CEV), one of the largest solar owner/operators in New Jersey with a portfolio of more than 460 MW of installed capacity, speaks excitedly of bringing this complex solar initiative to fruition.

Again, the project’s ribbon cutting will take place on Tuesday, November 28th at 12:00 pm ET, and AC Power and CEV are excited to welcome partners and members of extended communities to participate in the grand reveal.

From Old Bridge Mayor, Owen Henry:

“This marks a transformative moment for Old Bridge Township…Through our collaborative efforts, we were able to revitalize a decades-old former landfill and underutilized parcel of land into a beacon of sustainability and clean energy. Not only does this project symbolize our community’s commitment to green energy, but it also promises tangible benefits for our residents, including job creation and energy savings. I am excited for the brighter, greener future we are building together for Old Bridge Township.”