2.25 MW Landfill Solar Array Completed in Derry, New Hampshire

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The town of Derry, New Hampshire, has completed a 2.25 MW ground-mounted solar array on a closed municipal landfill, now in operation. The project was developed, financed, and constructed by Encore Renewable Energy and operates under a long-term power purchase agreement, with 100% of the electricity generated supplied directly to the town government.

The solar array occupies 10 acres of municipal reclaimed land, with no upfront costs borne by the town. Local officials estimate that the array's annual generation is sufficient to offset the full-year electricity consumption of approximately 500 average households in New Hampshire, with the power used to support the operation of all town municipal facilities and schools.

The project operates under a fixed electricity rate that is lower than the benchmark supply cost of the local utility. The town purchases solar power from Encore at $0.065 per kilowatt-hour, while Eversource NH's current supply rate is $0.14 per kilowatt-hour. Town administrators project that the project will save the town $250,000 to $300,000 in its first year; over the system's 25-year operational lifespan, cumulative savings are conservatively estimated to exceed $4 million.

The initiative was spearheaded by the Derry NetZero Task Force. This municipal committee, composed of volunteers, spent six years conducting energy benchmarking on 40 municipal and school buildings to advance system design and clear legislative hurdles. In 2021, the town of Derry selected Encore through a competitive procurement process from seven bidding developers.

Brightfield (brownfield solar) development on closed landfills offers municipal off-takers a viable pathway to convert such otherwise undevelopable properties into revenue-generating assets while leveraging existing electrical infrastructure. The Derry project marks another expansion of community-scale solar capacity in the region, as local governments seek to offset operating expenses through local generation.