SolarCity Transforming Old Landfill into Solar Farm in Upstate New York

The closed and partially capped Tonawanda Landfill in upstate New York is being repurposed as a solar farm, according to The Buffalo News.

The work, which will be completed by SolarCity by the end of next year, includes installation of 8,500 solar panels on 10 acres on the east side of the landfill. The landfill has been closed since the 1980s. The town will buy power from SolarCity for $0.065 per kilowatt hour during the first year of a 20-year contract. The town will pay nothing for the photovoltaic system, and expects to cut about $183,000 off its annual $2 million electric bill.

Though SolarCity is headquartered in California, the company is building a solar factory panel in South Buffalo, which is near Tonawanda.

Earlier this month, SolarCity said that it had developed the world’s most efficient rooftop panel. The panel’s efficiency reached the 22.04 percent level on tests by a third party certification organization, the company said. The panels will be manufactured at the South Buffalo facility.