Madison County (WSYR-TV) - Madison County has found a unique way to produce power from a landfill using solar technology.
Part of the landfill has been capped and covered with flexible solar panels. It's the first municipal landfill in the country to do it.
The project is a brand-new landfill closure system. A light-green membrane serves as a cap; darker sections serve as solar panels.
"You eliminate the soil erosion and you greatly minimize the soil infiltration into the landfill as well and you can visually inspect the cover," said Art Mohr of Carlisle Energy Services.
There will be a lot of people watching how this system works. The only other two projects like it are both on privately run landfills in the south.
"It hasn't been a primary renewable energy source in the Northeast, yet we're using this more as a demonstration project just to see how it will act in this climate, see how much electricity we're going to generate in the winter months," said Chad Hutton of Barton & Loguidice.
The solar panels generate enough power to run an entire recycling center next door. Any extra energy is then fed back into the grid.
"Excess heat coming from our gas to energy project we partnered with Waste Management a few years ago, the waste heat from that facility is heating this facility," said Director of Madison County Department of Solid Waste Jim Zecca.
Madison County officials would like to see similar projects using green energy in the future.
About 80 percent of the $300,000 cost of the solar panel project was funded by a grant from NYSERDA.
