The Omaha Public Power District-Douglas County SOLUS (solar on landfills utility scale) initiative is examining how solar panels could be incorporated at a former Douglas County State Street Landfill in Omaha, Nebraska.
According to the American Public Power Association, the landfill, which operated between 1973 and 1989, was capped to isolate waste.
In a report by Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) titled “The Future of Landfills is Bright,” sufficient sun exposure, lack of vegetation, and limited development opportunities were listed as reasons why landfills could be viable hosts for solar panel installations.
“Moreover, reinvesting in closed landfill sites can help revitalize the local, often lower-income, host communities. Landfill solar is also highly scalable, as there are thousands of active landfills in the United States — and many thousands more closed and inactive landfills,” said RMI.
For SOLUS, landfills hosting solar are not only compatible with its properties — they stand to provide additional power to communities at a time when the need is greater than ever.
The SOLUS feasibility study, which will help determine the project timeline, is scheduled to conclude in June 2024.
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