Somersworth breaks ground on NH's first solar farm at Superfund site

SOMERSWORTH — In what is being called the first venture of its kind in New Hampshire, city residents and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency broke ground on a new solar array at Somersworth’s former landfill.

On Monday, the EPA joined U.S. Congressman Chris Pappas and local officials to celebrate the groundbreaking at the site of the former Somersworth Sanitary Landfill. This is the first time in New Hampshire that a portion of a Superfund site has been redeveloped into a solar farm.

"Making smart investments in our clean energy infrastructure is a critical step to ensuring we continue to lower costs for Granite Staters while putting our nation on the road to a more sustainable energy future," said Pappas. "I was glad to join federal, state, and local partners in Somersworth this afternoon (Monday) to break ground on the future site of this new solar array. By safely and responsibly repurposing a former landfill site, we are protecting the health and safety of our communities and environment while strengthening our clean energy infrastructure in the Seacoast.”

Ameresco, a Framingham, Massachusetts company, is installing the solar array.

Ameresco Senior Vice President Jon Mancini said there is a movement throughout the solar industry to create solar farms on reused land, like Somersworth’s landfill.

The company says the project will significantly boost Somersworth's sustainability efforts and repurpose city-owned land for renewable energy generation.

"It's a great way to turn a brownfield area into usable energy creation," said Mancini. "And it will save the city money for the next 20 years on electricity. We have 40-50 similar sites right now across the U.S."

According to an EPA press release, by having a portion of this site become a solar farm it upholds a key goal of the Superfund Program, to return Superfund sites to productive use.

The site, located on Blackwater Road, was a sanitary landfill from the mid-1930s to 1981, accepting municipal and industrial waste. The EPA added the site to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List in 1983. Cleanup efforts included a chemical treatment wall and a permeable soil cover, completed by 2001.

"We applaud the site team for their diligent work to clean up this portion of the site – and recognize the transformative decision of the City of Somersworth to repair the harm and invest in the health of their community and environment," said EPA New England Chief of Staff Sanjay Seth. "We thank our state and federal partners for their resolve and dedication to help make this project happen."

How much energy will the new solar array produce?

Mancini said the 2,577 kW-DC / 1,992 kW-AC solar PV project is projected to produce 3,523,443 kilowatt-hours in its first year and over 67 million kilowatt-hours in the next 20 years.

This production, according to the company, is estimated to prevent 2,461 metric tons of CO2 annually, which is equivalent to the annual electricity use of 486 homes, removing 586 gas-powered cars from the road, or the carbon sequestered by 2,874 acres of U.S. forests in one year.

Mancini said they plan to work with Eversource on the electricity distribution. The energy produced by the project, he said, will be sold to Somersworth under the state’s group net metering program. The project will pay the city a lease and a payment in lieu of taxes. The project has already received the necessary permits and approvals from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

When will the solar array project be completed?

Mancini said they hope to begin work next month, with a target date for completion by the end of this year.

"We will use local labor, a lot of trade workers," he said. "And once completed, there will be jobs to maintain the site."

Somersworth Mayor Matt Gerding said the project is an important step towards increasing the city’s sustainability efforts and aligns with similar efforts in the region and state.

“It is important that we collectively welcome green energy as another element of our collective energy portfolio,” said Gerding. “This is another example of Somersworth’s drive to continue its efforts to stand alongside our sister communities in striving to improve upon our collective movement towards a greener, cleaner future.”

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Somersworth breaks ground on NH's first solar farm at Superfund site