Shaffer Landfill | Solar Re-Use Development

Billerica, Massachusetts

Shaffer Landfill is an EPA Superfund site located on a 106-acre privately owned parcel of land within the Iron Horse Park industrial complex. Billerica opted to re-purpose the land and develop a solar farm with the goal of offsetting electricity costs for the town.

Meridian designed a solar development on two separate cells on the capped and closed landfill. The landfill topography, composite liners, existing built environment, and natural features created limitations with respect to panel layout and the racking system design. Other challenges faced were from a commuter railroad line, the historic Old Middlesex Canal, and protected wetlands, all of which abutted the land parcel.

The project consisted of a 6 MW ground-based solar photovoltaic array composed of approximately 19,700 solar panels on a custom P2 Microblock racking system. The completed array generates revenue for Billerica through taxes, while also providing the town, which serves as the host community, an opportunity to purchase electricity at a discounted rate.