CS Energy, an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) renewable energy firm, has started construction on a 10-megawatt landfill community solar project in Berkeley, N.J.
The community solar project, which consists of two 5-megawatt solar energy systems, is the first to simultaneously close a landfill and build a community solar system on top of it. After landfill operations ceased in 1982, the Berkeley Township Landfill remained uncapped due to lack of funds to close it. In 2020, CS Energy and Berkeley Township entered a public-private partnership to close the landfill, and CS Energy spent nearly two years completing the relevant studies and permitting work needed to bring the project to fruition.
This project contributes significantly to the state’s goal of achieving 100 percent clean electricity by 2035 — the most ambitious clean energy goal in the nation. CS Energy said the project will provide more affordable, locally produced clean energy to 1,800 hom