New solar farms go live on former Islip landfills
The Town of Islip will be generating an additional 5.3 megawatts of solar power this year thanks to two newly completed solar projects.
Agilitas Energy, the Massachusetts-based developer that built the renewable energy projects, now operates 7 solar farms on Long Island totaling 15 megawatts. All together, the firm expects to generate enough electricity to power over 5,000 homes annually.
“The Town of Islip is pleased to announce that our partnership with Agilitas Energy has transformed two closed town landfills into green energy solar facilities, generating both clean power, reducing our carbon footprint, and an annual income for our taxpayers,” said Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter.
The 39-acre Holbrook landfill, now used as the town’s recycling facility, closed in the 1980s. The Blydenburgh landfill in Hauppauge was shuttered in the 1990s as part of the EPA Superfund program. Agilitas is leasing both sites from the Town of Islip for about $120,000 annually. The company operates 5 other solar farms in the Town of Brookhaven.
Ken Rubin, Agilitas Energy’s managing partner, says the renewable energy projects are an example of the company’s “triple win strategy.”
“The Town of Islip wins because they generate guaranteed income for 20 years from underutilized parcels of land,” Rubin said in a statement. “The energy consumer wins because we are lowering the cost of energy, and we all win because we are creating green energy that benefits our environment.”
Rubin says the company also has two more solar farms under construction at Calabro Airport in Shirley, as well as a third project underway at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville. A fourth project is scheduled for later this year on the roof of the Brookhaven Town Hall.
