A once abandoned waste site in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey now has a new opportunity to serve the community. Designated a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Global Sanitary Landfill was closed in 1984 after a slope failure exposed waste, including illegally dumped hazardous materials, to the broader environment and the surrounding wetlands. Now, AC Power has turned the site into a solar project that will generate more than $1.2 million over the next 30 years for the Township, and power around 400 homes with reduced-cost electricity.
Brownfields, such as former waste sites, have suffered environmental contamination that make for complicated redevelopment or expansion. Brightfields- the colloquial term for brownfields developed into solar projects- are a new opportunity for reinvest in these areas. Recent research suggests that there are up to 190,000 U.S. brownfield sites that are eligible to become brightfields.
Read more about AC Power and CEO Annika Colston: How solar installations give new life to blighted brownfields (renewableenergyworld.com)