The Sun Shines Bright on Parkton Landfill
Baltimore County, Maryland, has flipped the script on waste with its brand new, large-scale ground-mounted solar farm. Yes, you heard that right! A sprawling 213 acres that once served as the Parkton Landfill is now basking under the sun, harvesting clean, green energy and giving a whole new meaning to a repurposed piece of land.
Solar Power: The Landfill’s New Side Hustle
Located just north of Baltimore City, this solar farm is not only creating around 8.2 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power in its first year but is also poised to supply about 11% of the Maryland county government’s annual electricity needs. This equates to avoiding greenhouse gas emissions similar to burning over 620,000 gallons of gasoline! Talk about a stellar upgrade for what was once considered a waste of space.
Innovative Thinking for Sustainable Living
County Executive Kathy Klausmeier aptly noted, “we are cutting costs for taxpayers and making investments that benefit our communities for decades.” The solar farm is part of a larger trend across the U.S. that aims to transform dormant landfills into productive energy sources. With a 25-year power purchase agreement with TotalEnergies, the county is gearing up to enjoy reduced electricity rates while advancing local climate goals. And if you think that’s impressive, wait until you hear about the next landfill solar project coming online by 2028 at Hernwood, which will crank up renewable energy’s share of the county’s power supply to 55%!
