Solar Power Success in the Berkshires
Energy cost savings, and reuse of a former city landfill, provided the backdrop for this solar power success story.
Tighe & Bond teamed with Borrego Solar Systems (Borrego) to perform engineering services and construction administration for the reuse of the closed E Street Landfill in the City of North Adams, Massachusetts. This project included the construction of a 3.5 megawatt (MW) DC photovoltaic solar farm located on approximately 11.7 acres of the 31-acre capped landfill. (Aerial view of the solar system is courtesy of Borrego Solar Systems.)
100 Percent Solar Powered!
This makes the City of North Adams 100 percent solar powered, when combined with power being purchased from two other sites built in nearby towns. All of its street lights, facility buildings, schools, and the state-owned skating rink are running on clean renewable energy. The solar array offsets 2,989 tons of carbon annually, the equivalent of removing 630 cars from the road or the amount sequestered by 2,450 acres of U.S. forests in a year.
The City of North Adams achieved its goal of securing a Net-Metering Credit Purchase Agreement.
Services Snapshot
Our services for this solar energy system included permitting, design, and construction administration. We also assisted with the construction of access roads, as well as the installation of ballast trays with concrete blocks to support the photovoltaic panel racks and solar panels. Prior to the start of construction, we also performed geotechnical evaluations to verify that the capped landfill could accommodate the additional loading from the blocks and the photovoltaic racks.
Award Recognition
2016 Engineering Excellence Silver Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA).
