Former massive CT landfill targeted to become source for revenue and energy. The idea is spreading

The city would reap the benefits without having to worry about the maintenance or operation of the project.

Bloomfield-based CTEC Solar is planning a 14-acre solar farm on Hartford’s former landfill along I-91, a deal that’s projected to yield a few million dollars to the city over the next 20 years.

The agreement is the latest in a series of arrangements where Connecticut cities and towns are leasing closed landfills to solar energy companies.

Just last fall, Verogy completed a 2.5-acre solar project at Middletown’s capped landfill, a project expected to generate more than a million kilowatts of clean energy a year. Danbury, Bethel, Deep River, East Haven, Groton and Montville either plan to or have completed similar facilities.

The deals typically provide revenue for the host community while enabling the solar industry to cover essentially useless land with solar panels rather than taking out-of-service farmland, open fields or similar space.

Hartford leaders say the agreement will be an environmental and economic win, with the city putting up no money while getting protection from sharing CTEC’s risks.

“With this agreement, the city will not — I emphasize not — be responsible for operation, maintenance or any damage to the array,” City Architect Julia Jack told the city council committee Wednesday. “Nor will it be responsible for any production shortfalls.

“This agreement has the potential to bring to the city approximately between $2 million to over $4 million over the 20-year period,” Jack said.

Hartford determined it had sufficient space at the Leibert Road landfill to accommodate a solar array producing about 6.3 gigawatts hours annually, Mayor Arunan Arulampalam told the city council.

“This project will be the largest solar photovoltaic development deal the city has done to date,” he wrote a memo in mid-July.

Under the contract, CTEC is responsible for designing, engineering, install and maintaining a ground-mounted array near the center of the former landfill.

Under the lease, the company would provide monthly payments and quarterly credits or rebates on the city’s energy bill.

“The city stands to significantly reduce its overall electricity cost, furthering both our financial goals and moving us further toward our climate action goals,” Jack said.

CTEC retained Waterford-based All-Points Technology Corp. to do a detailed environmental assessment of the property, and the consultant gave a favorable report last year.

“The project will meet applicable local, state, national and industry health and safety standards and requirements related to electric power generation,” according to All-Points. “The facility will not consume any raw materials, will not produce any byproducts and will be unstaffed during normal operating conditions.”

CTEC will monitor the array remotely and will be able to de-energize the equipment in an emergency, All-Points said.

Eleven years ago, a smaller array was installed on Hartford’s landfill, the first time in Connecticut that such a property had been used for solar power. Solar companies have since been putting panels on everything from West Hartford’s town hall to Mystic Aquarium and Cinemark’s theater in North Haven.

Recently there’s been a flurry of similar projects at closed municipal landfills.

Verogy is pursuing plans in Deep River and Montville, and Bethel previously partnered with Ameresco for a solar farm there.

The 100-acre Hartford Landfill was once dubbed Mount Trashmore. It previously was a toxic, smelly mar on the landscape, which for generations was east of the city’s North End.

It had opened in 1940, and once was an expanding and smoldering and putrid dump overburdened with trash trucked in from more than 60 towns in Connecticut and neighboring states, The Courant has reported.

Now it’s grassland and attracts wildlife.