Solar Places
Easthampton, Mass.: There are a dozen projects
in Massachusetts which would see old landfills turned into sources of renewable
energy. One of them, in Easthampton, has covered a sealed landfill with 10,000
solar panels, the Boston
Globe reported. The sealed
landfill hasn’t taken in waste since the early 1990s.
Fresno County, Calif.: Three applications for
large solar farms were approved by the Fresno County Planning Commission. The
sizes of the installations are anticipated to be 40MW, 20MW, and 2.5MW,
according to The
Business Journal.
Ikea stores: According to Chain
Store Age, 23 Ikea stores, which is more than half of those in the United
States, have rooftop solar power, installations now in progress, or planning
underway.
New Bedford, Mass.: If municipal leaders’
plans come to fruition, New Bedford, Mass. will have “the largest municipal
solar power project” in the state, according to a news
release. The project could be as large as 10MW. Congressman Barney Frank
said, “This is a model for the country.” The solar modules are to be installed
on “roofs and unused parcels of land.”
Portland, Ore.: According to The Oregonian,
“204 solar panels installed on the Matt Dishman Community Center roof will
reduce the city’s electric bill by at least $3,800 a year.” The project cost
$273,000 and the money came from the stimulus. EC Electrical Construction was
the contractor.
Salisbury, Md.: The Perdue Incorporated
corporate headquarters in Salisbury, Md. now boasts “one of the largest
commercially owned solar power systems in the eastern United States,” according
to a news
release.
Sheffield, Mass.: A news
release from PowerPlay Solar Development claimed it was nearly done with a
2MW, 8-acre solar plant at Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass. It is said to
be the state’s largest solar installation “and the largest operating solar
facility of its kind at an private secondary school in the US.”
Villas, N.J.: The local utilities authority
was to dedicate its new solar field in early November. The authority is now
getting 90% of the power it needs from the 1.3MW field, according to the Cape
May County Herald. The cost per kWh for the first five years is set at under
four cents; local residential electric users are paying 13 cents.
Walmart stores in California: According to EnvironmentalLeader.com, more
than 75% of Wal-Mart’s 130 stores in California are to be solar-powered once
the projects, which are now in the planning stages, are completed.