Atl Landfill To Be Converted To Solar Farm

Source: AJC

For years, some travelers taking off from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport had a clear view of what might be considered an eyesore -- the 48-acre Hickory Ridge landfill in DeKalb County.

Views are about to change.

Republic Services, which owns Hickory Ridge, is closing the landfill and turning it into a solar farm, using $2 million in federal stimulus money, a new kind of solar panel and help from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority.

When finished this year, it will be one of the biggest single producers of solar power in Georgia and the state's first landfill solar farm, according to both the company and GEFA, which awarded it $2 million in stimulus money last year, after a competitive bid.

"Georgia is a very good state for solar energy," said GEFA spokesman Shane Hix. "We'd like to see this used as an example of what can be done with landfills across the state."

Republic first tried out the technology in San Antonio, at a site a fraction of Hickory's size.

Then it "went looking for larger scale sites," said Republic engineering manager Tony Walker.

Republic wants solar caps to become a legitimate alternative to closing landfills in the usual way, which requires layers of dirt and vegetation on top.

There's a benefit to Republic. The solar landfill cap saves maintenance costs. "It's a landfill closure system that maintains the gas inside, keeps the water out and produces renewable energy," Walker said. "And it's very economical for us."

Environmental groups like the idea, too: "Anytime you add solar, that's a good thing," said Colleen Kiernan, Georgia director for the Sierra Club.

The landfill will be covered first with a liner, a membrane Walker said is tougher than a typical landfill liner. Solar panels will sit on top. Designed by Pennsylvania's Carlisle Energy, the panels are the thickness of two nickels and pliable.

"We don't like to put glass panels on a settling slope that's going to move," Walker said. "We'll have a panel that actually flexes, a panel that won't break."

The panels will also be a dark color so they will not interfere with pilots' views from above.

The company hopes Hickory Ridge -- both because of its size and its visibility -- will become an ambassador for the concept of solar caps on closed landfills.

The site will sell 1 megawatt of power -- enough to power 400 homes -- to Georgia Power.

The utility doesn't pay as much for solar as those in some markets, so "it's not a big money maker for us," Walker said. But "my goal with this was to put solar in areas that weren't very welcoming to solar."