Ground Broken On New Solar Farm In Berkeley

BERKELEY, NJ — Local and state officials broke ground on the new 10-megawatt solar field at the old Berkeley landfill on May 11.

The old uncapped landfill has sat dormant for nearly 50 years, according to township officials.

“After almost 50 years of being closed and sitting dormant, this 40 acre site is finally being properly capped and efficiently utilized. We are thrilled to have partnered with CS Energy and Luminace to close this landfill at no cost to our taxpayers and residents while also offering more affordable and cleaner sources of energy to our community,” said Mayor Carmen Amato. “My administration and the Council have set robust goals for resiliency and green initiatives and are pleased to have this outside the box, strategic method for generating revenue for the township on township-owned land.”

“We are proud to collaborate with CS Energy once again as they successfully develop this landmark project,” said Brendon Quinlivan, Luminace CEO.

This project will provide clean, locally-produced energy to 1,800 homes, 51 percent of which will be low and moderate income households. In total, this landfill community solar project will save participants roughly $6.4 million over the 20-year life of the project.

Amato thanked employees from Teamster Local 97 for preparing the site for the work to begin. He also thanked representatives from IBEW Local 400, Operating Engineers Local 825, Local 172 and Local 182 for attending the ground breaking and being part of the project.

“I'm pleased to know the work on-site will be done by highly qualified, trained and dedicated union workers,” Amato said.

Amato also thanked the Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Pinelands Commission for their help in obtaining the proper permits.

“To properly cap a landfill, at no cost to the taxpayers and at the same time install 10 Megawatts of green energy and generate revenue for the township, is truly a win-win situation for Berkeley Township,” Council President John Bacchione said.

After landfill operations ceased in 1974, the Berkeley Township Landfill remained uncapped due to lack of funds available to close the landfill. CS Energy and Berkeley Township entered a public-private partnership to close the landfill in 2020 and Township and CS Energy spent nearly two years completing all relevant studies and permitting work required to make the project a reality.

“This landfill solar redevelopment project, which transforms a longstanding environmental liability into an asset that delivers significant and direct benefits to its host community, continues to demonstrate we – together – can achieve environmental and economic success while advancing our critical mission,” said Deputy Commissioner Sean Moriarty.

“We are excited to once again be working alongside Luminace on this first-of-its-kind project,” said John Ervin, VP of Development at CS Energy. “Our deep experience in the region, and on landfill solar projects specifically, enabled our team to successfully lead the development and design of this highly complex project while working closely with regulators. We look forward to completing the construction of this project and delivering a high-quality solar system and significant energy savings to residents.”