Fairfax County and an energy developer have begun the process of converting part of a closed landfill site in Lorton into a solar array. The county鈥檚 Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) and Madison Energy Infrastructure officially broke ground on Wednesday, on the 5-Megawatt Solar Array Project 鈥� though officials connected to the project told FFXnow work on the site actually started weeks ago.
The project, built on top of the I-95 landfill at 9850 Furnace Road, will generate enough energy for 1,000 homes, Fairfax County said in a release. The array will cover 37 acres of the closed landfill, taking up space previously considered unusable.
鈥淭he energy produced from the project will be credited virtually to other county energy accounts, which will be selected to maximize the cost savings to the county,鈥� the release said. 鈥淭he project could save the county $12 million dollars over the 30-year partnership and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 136,000 metric tons over the same period.鈥�