As part of the Solar Act of 2012, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities created a program to encourage solar utility companies and contractors to redevelop existing lands into solar generation facilities. PSE&G acted on this with Solar-4-All, a program set up to convert New Jersey landfills into solar farms. In a 2012 study of 700 landfills conducted by Weston Solutions Inc. and commissioned by PSE&G, the 140-acre Kinsley Landfill was chosen as the most optimal site for solar redevelopment. The landfill was chosen due to its size, relative flatness and proximity to the surrounding neighborhoods.
The company hired general contractor Conti Enterprises to design and build the 11.18-MW ground ballast-mounted solar photovoltaic array system with fiber optic cabling to convert the former landfill into a source of clean energy. The solar farm is spread over 35 acres.
Due to the poor quality of the existing soil, Conti began by importing more than 100,000 tons of clean soil. The project consisted of installing 37,000 solar modules, seven prefabricated equipment structures, the balance of system electrical components and a net metering mechanism that measures energy used and excess energy produced.
At the ceremony celebrating the project’s completion, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney said, “This is a good day not just for South Jersey, but the environment. This place was notorious. It was
the scene of many environmental and political battles. But now we’ve taken a negative and made it a positive …. It has enormous value for clean energy.”
Kinsley is the largest and most powerful PS&G solar farm to date, with a sustainable design that will allow it to power 2,000 homes annually for 30 years. Despite several unforeseen obstacles, Conti was able to complete the project in just six months, putting them three months ahead of schedule.
Kinsley Landfill PV Solar Design/Build
Sewell, N.J.
Key Players
Owner/Developer PSE&G
General Contractor/Lead Design Firm Conti Enterprises Inc.
Electrical Contractor Huen Electric
