The plan to install a large solar array on the former landfill off Glendale Road is moving ahead two years after public pressure led the city to close the dump rather than expand it.
While details are still in the works, the city’s energy specialist said the idea calls for a third-party company to develop the estimated $16 million, 3.5-to-4-megawatt system on 15 acres of capped landfill. Such a system would produce about 45 percent of the city’s municipal energy use each year, valued at $650,000, though that doesn’t mean the city will see that kind of annual savings, said Christopher Mason, the city’s energy and sustainability officer.