Landfill To Become Solar Farm

newhavenindependent.org | Mona Mahaevan
September 2, 2025

The city’s old dump at 260 Middletown Ave. is getting one last load — not of garbage, but of 1,920 solar panels, set to top the capped landfill within six to eight months.

The plans to begin work on the new solar farm were announced Tuesday afternoon by top city officials at a press conference next to the site. Mayor Justin Elicker, Office of Climate & Sustainability Executive Director Steven Winter, and Greenskies Clean Energy Vice President Ryan Linares all spoke at the event.

The project, led by solar developer Greenskies Clean Energy, marks the city’s latest initiative to reduce its carbon footprint and increase its renewable energy supply.

According to a press release sent Monday, Greenskies plans to install more than one megawatt of solar panels, yielding over 1.4 million kilowatt hours of power each year. That amount of energy is “enough to power 200 homes’ electricity use for one year, equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling over 81,000 trash bags of waste” or “the carbon sequestered by nearly 16,000 tree seedlings grown for ten years.”

On Tuesday, Elicker noted that the development, planned for one of the highest points in the city, can be seen from the Interstate 91. That level of visibility “makes a statement about our city and the fact that we care so much about being environment stewards,” he stated.

He then listed the city’s other recent climate initiatives, including its fleet of 50 electric vehicles, expansion of low-carbon or no-carbon public transport options (such as Veo electric scooters), and green-ification of buildings like Union Station.

He also noted that New Haven already produces three megawatts of solar energy, including installations on 19 school roofs, and another 2.5 megawatts are in the pipeline.

In addition to the environmental benefits, the project will yield a benefit to taxpayers: according to Winter, the lease requires Greenskies to pay the city $6,000 per month for 20 years, yielding a total of $1.4 million in new revenue. City spokesperson Lenny Speiller said later on Tuesday that the funds would be directed to the city’s general fund — specifically, the budget line “Miscellaneous Revenue.”

Linares said the planned location, an unused landfill, is “ideal” for both the project and the city. Given its height, he noted, the lot receives “unobstructed sunlight, from morning to night, which maximizes energy production on site.” For the city, he added that the project would be “transforming land that has limited other uses,” especially given its proximity to a very active waste transfer station.

Tuesday’s announcement comes just two months after the passage of the Trump administration’s giant domestic policy bill, which phases out a Biden-era initiative that offered tax credits for wind and solar power projects that began construction by 2034. Now, renewable developers will have to start building by July 2026 to have the strongest chance of receiving a full credit (worth at least 30 percent of development costs), a deadline that Linares said Greenskies would meet.

Even with the credits, Linares told the Independent that the installation would cost Greenskies “a few million.” The power will be sold to United Illuminating (UI) at a fixed rate for 20 years, he added, which is “a good deal” for UI since they’ll receive a “consistent energy cost” over a long period of time.

Winter agreed, explaining that Greenskies had been selected by the city through a “reverse auction.” Energy developers responded to the city’s requests for renewable projects on the site, beginning in 2023, by bidding the lowest possible rate that they’d sell power. Greenskies was selected in part because of its bid, according to Winter, but also for its substantial portfolio of solar developments, including 11 other landfill projects throughout the state.

Winter and Linares said the Greenskies proposal underwent a rigorous review by city and state agencies, with the potential release of methane gas, produced by decomposing organic matter in the landfill, topping the list of concerns. The landfill has been capped under two feet of soil for decades, which should contain emissions, but Linares said Greenskies will take extra precautions: for instance, keeping heavy trucks on asphalt and using smaller vehicles to move materials onto the landfill itself.

In response to questions about fixed rate pricing, Winter acknowledged that solar and wind power is highly variable, and their peak production times might not match peak demand times. (For example, demand for electricity is highest during the summer when people come home from work, but by that point, the sun is usually beginning to set.) While battery technology for storing renewable energy is still extremely expensive, Winter noted that prices have been reducing substantially. If batteries get cheap enough, he said, then it might one day be possible to deploy stored solar and wind power “when it’s most needed.”

“We’re seeing a lot of growth in energy demand, especially from data centers and A.I.,” said Winter, and renewables are “the fastest source of energy that can be put on the grid,” another reason to invest in wind and solar.