Encore RE installs 2.2-MW solar project atop New Hampshire capped landfill

Derry, New Hampshire, has turned a closed municipal landfill into a 2.25-megawatt solar array, now up and running. The developer, Encore Renewable Energy, estimates the project will save the town about $4 million in electricity costs over the next 25 years, with local backers projecting savings as high as $5-10 million. The plan came out of a six-year effort by an all-volunteer Derry NetZero Task Force, which studied energy use across 40 town and school buildings before the town picked Encore in a 2021 competitive bidding process.

This isn't a program homeowners can sign up for directly, since it's a town-owned system built on public land, and the power goes toward covering the town's own electricity needs rather than individual households. But it shows a broader trend worth knowing about: communities are increasingly putting solar on land that isn't good for much else, like capped landfills, to cut public energy costs. If your town or utility runs a community solar program, projects like this one can sometimes let residents buy into shared solar output and see savings on their own electric bill, even without panels on their roof.

The Derry project is also served by Eversource, the region's utility, so nearby ratepayers may see the array's power flow into the local grid. If you live in an area served by Eversource NH or a similar utility, it's worth checking whether they offer any community solar subscription that ties into projects like this one.