ALBANY — New York state, in partnership with the city of Albany, has announced the construction of a 1.5-megawatt solar facility at the former North Albany Landfill that will use vacant land for a facility powering the equivalent of 200 homes. 

The capped landfill, which sits behind the city of Albany’s Department of General Services building in the Shaker Heights neighborhood, closed in 2023.

The city of Albany and the New York Power Authority have signed a contract and have completed studies for the site and will now prepare and submit an interconnection application to the local utility, according to a release from the governor’s office.

The project is part of the power authority’s Renewable Energy Access and Community Help (REACH) program, which relies on a renewable energy portfolio to generate revenue that is then passed on to investor-owned utilities. Those utilities in turn offer credit to low- and middle-income customers in disadvantaged communities. 

Interested residents may enroll in the state’s Home Energy Assistance Program as well as the Solar for All program, the latter of which says enrollees can save between $5 and $15 per month once they’re assigned to a project. The landfill solar facility is expected to be online in 2027, so enrollees can expect their benefits then. 

The project is also part of power authority’s expanded authority on renewable energy development, included as part of the 2023-24 enacted state budget, as the state attempts to meet its ambitious renewable energy goals.

Earlier this year, NYPA revealed 37 projects as part of its larger strategic plan that could generate more than 3 gigawatts of renewable energy. The largest of them would be a 270 megawatt facility in the town of South Ripley, in Chautauqua County.