Landfill Solar Technology Expanding Overseas

Siting solar panels on closed landfills has been trending for some time. Now, an Alpharetta-based company's technology aimed at accelerating that trend is moving into international markets.

Landfills and solar power complement each other for multiple reasons. For the solar developer, landfills typically offer access to existing electrical infrastructure, large areas of flat land, and favorable zoning. For the landfill's owner, solar development can allow for re-use with a relatively low risk of penetrating the clay "cap" overlying filled waste or triggering public concerns that sometimes accompany other re-use options.

Alpharetta-based Watershed Geo's PowerCap technology aims to enhance this complementary relationship in a few key ways. First, rather than using ballasts to mount solar panels in soil overlying the cap, PowerCap rests directly on a geosynthetic barrier. This installation method could potentially reduce the risk of cap penetration to near-zero. Second, the design can accommodate panels on steep slopes that would otherwise be unavailable for power generation. Third, and most importantly for solar developers, the technology reportedly increases each solar unit's power potential up to three times compared to traditional installations.

Earlier this year, PowerCap was used to commission a 41 kilowatt (peak) demonstration project at Germany's Metabolon landfill, an R&D site for innovative waste management and sustainability technologies. If this pilot project meets or exceeds expectations, PowerCap may play an increasing role in siting solar on landfills—and other brownfield properties—as investors and developers have a place to see the technology in action.