Riverside Landfill Could Host Multi-Million-Dollar Solar Energy Farm

Riverside is well on its way to saying so-long to the Forbes Street landfill and hello to a solar energy farm. Councilman Michael DiGoia spoke of the project at the previous East Providence last week, giving residents a look inside the how the  is unfolding.

Early Friday evening, Bill Martin, president of CME, a Boston-based company specializing in green energy solutions, spoke by telephone of the upcoming project his company is handling.

CME, which won a bid from the city, has already completed two main steps of the project, according to Martin: Initiating an interconnect study with National Grid – designed to determine the feasibility of the project from a power management standpoint – and attaining a zoning variance approval.

Martin pointed to recent state legislation which makes it legal for companies to sell power back to National Grid, a process known as net metering, something he says is an option upon completion of the solar farm.

"We're really looking at a variety of ways to use the power generated," Martin said. "There's the option of selling it back to National Grid, or we can sell it to East Providence."

Martin said the process thus far has been comprised of a series of "logical and rational steps," and that he is "aiming for contracts to be done by the end of this year. He does not expect any work at the site until 2012.

The project is set to take place in two phases, at least ideally. The first phase is on track, to establish a farm producing about 5 megawatts of power. It will cost $20 million to $25 million to make that happen. Martin says if the company is able to do a second phase that can expand to 10 magawatts, "it could easily run to $50 million."

CME was involved in public meeting in March of 2011, where Riverside residents made clear they are worried about flooding from drainage of the Forbes Street site. Martin said there was worry that any more weight on the location would push out excess water out, producing more flooding.

CME studied the issue with the planning department in East Providence and DEM and believe the solar farm would not impact the flow of groundwater significantly.