December 7 – Another solar energy array is expected for the city of Lewiston, this one on a former landfill.
Connecticut-based Citrine Power, LLC is planning a 2.5-megawatt commercial system for a closed landfill at 4746 Model City Road. The location is adjacent to Modern Disposal’s Lewiston office and near Lewiston City Hall.
The 29.5 hectare site is owned by the Washuta family, which leases the land to Citrine and is intended for industrial use. Eight to ten hectares would be used for the solar panels.
Site plan drawings prepared by Colliers Engineering & Design show that the proposed array would have 8 feet of fencing around it, setbacks ranging from 50 to 200 feet from adjacent property lines, and overhead transmission wires. The equipment is placed on a ballast block so that the landfill cover is not disturbed.
The array would be a community solar project under the Community Solar Power Program, generating power for National Grid.
Citrine has worked on a total of 15 solar panels in the states of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and California, generating a total of 37.32 megawatts of power.
The Niagara County Planning Board recommended site plan approval for this project in November and now goes to the city for final approval. The city government passed a new law last August that limits future solar energy projects to industrial areas.
The city had approved at least six solar farms, including one that opened in October on the Niagara University campus, most of which are on agricultural land.
Citrine representatives could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
