New Jersey Landfill Solar Power Plant, Borough of Hopatcong, NJ

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The capped municipal landfill in the Borough of Hopatcong, New Jersey, lies between the Hopatcong High School and Durban Avenue Elementary School. It sits just 1,500 feet from a 2-acre solar array that fuels the grid. The landfill has been out of commission since 1995 but costs the Borough an average of $10,000 in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water testing and fees each year. Local renewable energy developers partnered with Hopatcong to develop and build a 1.5 megawatt (MW) solar power plant on about nine acres of the Borough's capped solid waste landfill. The Borough entered into a 25-year lease agreement to cover the costs. The solar farm will contain 4,000 panels that each produce about 285 watts. They are 90 percent efficient and guaranteed for 10 years. Each monocrystalline panel costs about $250, measures approximately 78 inches &time 39 inches, weighs about 39 pounds, and has 144 monocrystalline cells. These types of panels are constructed of single-crystal silicon. Upon completion, the solar system will sell its power to Jersey Central Power and Light, which serves around 1.1 million customers in central and northern New Jersey. The farm will generate $15,000/year per MW in revenue for the Borough.

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