CEP Renewables and CS Energy‘s 10 MW BEMS solar community project has begun construction. This project is at the Big Hill Landfill in Southampton, New Jersey.
Project BEMS
The project consists of two 5 MW solar systems on two utility lands. And it will utilize Terrasmart’s ballasted solar racking solution. In addition to converting unusable land into a clean energy-generating asset. It will also benefit low-to-moderate-income residents. And it will allow the municipality to recover 40 years of back taxes and interest. Construction of this project is expected to be completed in May 2023.
Chris Ichter, Executive Vice President of CEP Renewables, said, “We are excited to build on the success of our redevelopment project in Mount Olive, New Jersey – the largest solar landfill project in North America, by utilizing a similar process with this project.”
Big Hill landfill
Bp acquired the BEMS project through the redevelopment and tax lien execution process. Its former owner long-abandoned Big Hill landfill in Southampton. This caused it to accumulate millions of dollars in tax liens.
The company acquired the township’s tax liens as part of the public-private partnership between CEP and Southampton Township. It paid all delinquent taxes and foreclosed on the landfill property. CEP is now the owner of this landfill, and the municipality recovered nearly 40 years of back taxes and interest.
Environmental and financial benefits to the local community
Michael Dillon, Chief Operating Officer of CS Energy, expressed: “We are proud that CEP Renewables selected us to provide our expertise on this impactful landfill solar community project because of our proven ability to complete these challenging projects safely and cost-effectively. We look forward to working alongside CEP Renewables to convert a previously unusable site into a field that will provide substantial environmental and financial benefits to this local community.”
There are more than 10,000 closed landfills in the United States. These could accommodate more than 60 GW of solar capacity, which would be enough to power 7.8 million homes or the state of South Carolina. The past five years have seen an 80% increase in solar landfill projects due mainly to the landfill expertise developed by companies like CEP. This BEMS project represents just one of 16 landfill or brownfield projects that CEP currently has under development.
The BEMS project adds more than 100 MW solar projects to CEP in New Jersey. And it will help the state rank as the top U.S. state in installed solar capacity per square mile. The project will produce enough clean energy to power 2,000 homes. All will receive guaranteed savings, which will serve as a reliable source of local tax revenue for this community over the long term.
It can be of your interest: Largest Landfill Solar Project in North America completed by CEP Renewables
