Two New York landfill solar projects become operational

Two solar projects, totaling over 12 MWdc sit on a 197-acre decommissioned landfill in Lancaster in Erie County, New York.

The first site, Lancaster 1, is a 6.06 MWdc community solar project, with Finger Lakes Health as the anchor commercial utility off taker. Lancaster 2, a 6.63 MWdc project, is not a community solar site and is instead classified as a “remote crediting” site, and Finger Lakes Health is one of its many off-takers.

Ampion, a community solar subscription management company, enrolled Finger Lakes Health along with the Town of Hector’s municipal sites and other subscribers.

Both of the solar installations use 540 W Znshine solar modules, Gamechange racking and Chint inverters. Lancaster 1 has 11,232 modules installed, whereas Lancaster 2 has 12,298. The projects are connected to the New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) distribution infrastructure by two different interconnection points.

Originally designed by AC Power, a woman-owned development company specializing in repurposing previously disturbed land into productive solar fields. Catalyze acquired the two installations, which it will now own and operate.

“In working alongside Catalyze, we’ve managed to turn a once dormant landfill into a source of clean energy, contributing to New York’s ambitious renewable energy targets,” said AC Power founder and CEO Annika Colston. “This project is a shining example of how solar development can not only offset land maintenance costs but also transform a challenge into a revenue-generating asset, all while supporting the community and the environment.”

Catalyze is a national independent power producer (IPP) with a strong presence in the California and New York markets. Catalyze is backed by EnCap Investments L.P. and Actis.

“We’re proud to support New York’s efforts in expanding solar energy access to commercial and mass market energy users that may not have the option of putting solar on their own building,” said Jared Haines, CEO of Catalyze. “This project further demonstrates renewable energy’s role in supporting local economies, and we will continue to look for opportunities that both accelerate the clean energy transition and create value from unused space.”

These projects will support New York’s goals of expanding clean energy access to commercial users and the state’s clean energy target of 6 GW of distributed solar by 2025, and 70% renewable energy by 2030.