Though I would much rather see solar arrays (and other types of renewal energy) decentralized to neighborhoods and individual homes and businesses, at least this public project does make good use of one city’s former landfill.
America’s Biggest Landfill To Become New York’s Largest Solar Project
December 2, 2013
Mayor Bloomberg announced last week the city’s plans to convert roughly 47 acres of land at the Freshkills Park on Staten Island into a 10-MW solar installation, five times bigger than any other system in the city and boosting the city’s renewable energy by 50 percent, according to officials.
Alongside the solar installation and planned wind turbines, parks and green spaces spanning 2,200 acres are being developed.
In the mid-2000’s two dozen city agencies began undertaking work to make the city greener, from cleaning up brownfield sites to requiring “green” buildings to expanding sustainable transportation to boosting renewable energy. At Fresh Kills, they’ve turned a mountain of trash into an oasis of green, with room for parks, wildlife and renewable energy installations, according to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“Over the last twelve years we’ve restored wetlands and vegetation and opened new parks and soccer fields at the edges of the site,” said Bloomberg. “It is only fitting that Freshkills, once a daily dumping ground, will become a showcase urban renewal and sustainability.”
Elsewhere in the city, an innovative third-party ownership agreement has led to the installation of almost 2 megawatts of solar energy on four City-owned buildings including a waste water treatment plant, two Bronx High Schools. Almost 700 kilowatts have already been installed on police precincts, park buildings and firehouses.
(READ the story from the Renewable Energy World)
