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while contributing to energy independence and reducing our unsustainable dependence on fossil fuels.
CLoSed LAndfiLLS equipped with RenewAbLe SoLAR poweR CAn pRoduCe Revenue
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conversion occurs in an inverter, which can also contain equipment to make the power compatible with the electrical grid and sensors to block the flow of electrical energy if there is an interruption in the grid power system. Transmission lines and transformers are required to connect the solar array to the local utility grid. The final component between the array and the utility is an electrical meter, which measures and records the amount of power that the array supplies. Many states use net metering, in which the meter records both the power a facility draws from the utility grid and the amount of power it returns to the grid. The proper measurement and recording of power flowing into the grid is the basis for compensation to the owner of the solar array for the energy he provides to the utility. In some cases, this power can be sold at a premium, since many States mandate that publicly owned utilities provide a certain percentage of their power from renewable sources, including solar.
This is the beauty of placing an array on a closed landfill, where tens or hundreds of acres lie idle. Without the renewable energy resource, the closed facility would be of little or no use, and would be a constant financial drain on the property owner. Since many landfills are located away from population centers or in industrial areas, it wont always be feasible to use the site as yet another park or golf course. However, with a solar array, the property is converted to a source of renewable power, monitoring and reporting costs are defrayed by the income from the produced power, and post-closure maintenance is reduced if the array is attached to an EGC.
Siting an Array
Solar energy can provide an attractive source of revenue for an owner, but siting an array can be problematic. To understand why, we need to define some terms, including watt and watt-hour. A watt is an instantaneous measurement of energy, or the ability to do work. A watt-hour is a measurement of energy over time; it means that one watt of energy is being provided for a time of one hour. Watts measure instantaneous energy, while watt-hours refer to a sustained delivery of energy. Since a watt is really quite a small bit of energy, we generally append the prefix kilo-, denoting one thousand, or mega- denoting one million to watts or watt hours. A typical American household might use around 9,000 kilowatt-hours in a year, but could easily draw 5 or 6 kilowatts at any given instant. As you can see, to provide power from a solar array for a significant number of households will require a lot of kilowatt-hours. For example, if we use the average consumption rate mentioned above, it would take 9,000,000 kilowatt-hours to power 1,000 homes. Since the array wont be producing power when its dark or cloudy, and since there is some loss of power as electricity moves through the array components, the array will have to have a high kilowatt rating. For purposes of illustration, lets say that to produce our 9,000,000 kilowatt-hours, we will need an instantaneous power rating rate of 5,400 kilowatts or 5.4 megawatts. If a typical flexible panel produces around 150 watts of power and has an area of 20 square feet, a 5.4 megawatt array would require about 5 acres of panels. A significant amount of additional space, perhaps up to 10 times the acreage of the panels, will be required for maintenance access, the other array components and access roads, etc. All told, the land requirements for a solar array can be significant.
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Solar panel costs are trending downward, and installed costs are currently as low as $3 per watt. Widely available tax incentives, equipment rebates and grant money can help defray the capital cost of installing an array. In many cases, the installed cost of an EGC is competitive with the cost of a federally mandated closure, especially in situations where soil must be imported for closure. The annual cost for maintenance of an EGC is much lower than the cost of maintaining a grass cap. And although the benefits in terms of public perception and moving toward a more sustainable energy economy are not quantifiable, they are nevertheless real. | WA Ted Alexander is a Senior Engineer with KRW Consulting (Lakewood, CO). Under a previous employer, he served as a quality control reviewer for the design of the Tessman Road Landfill solar energy cover, the project manager for the construction of the array, and coordinated the electrical and civil design for the project. He can be reached at (303) 239-9011 or at talexander@krwconsulting.com.
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