A landfill solar project developed by Syncarpha Capital and Pacolet Milliken LLC in New Jersey has earned top marks for civil engineering.
Every year the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) New Jersey Section recognizes and celebrates outstanding individuals and projects that have made significant contributions to the civil engineering industry in the state of New Jersey within the past calendar year. This year’s 2023 Project of the Year Winner (<$10 Million) has been awarded to GEMS Landfill PV Solar Plant. The partners involved in this project:
Project Owner: Syncarpha Capital / Pacolet Milliken LLC
Project Racking Solution: Terrasmart
Project EPC Contractor: CS Energy
The PV solar facility covers 19 Acres at the GEMS Landfill site with a total DC capacity of 4,499 kWp and a 3 MWac output. The Gloucester Environmental Management Services (GEMS) landfill covers 60 acres in Gloucester Township, Camden County, New Jersey.
There is a “cap” on the top areas of the landfill, the cap is 5 ft thick in total, it consists of two 2 ft of clay, a 40-mil HDPE liner, overlayed by a 12-in. drainage layer, 18-in. of soil cover and 6-in. of vegetated topsoil. The landfill cap must remain undisturbed. All construction methods were designed to be non-intrusive to the soil cover and to be protective of the existing remedy.
The PV solar facility incorporates 11,430 PV solar panels having three different output capacities: 8,658 Jinko Solar JKM400M-72HL-V 400W, 2,214 JA Solar JAM72S01 375W and 558 JA Solar JAM72S01 370W modules.
After years of planning and permitting, construction began in December 2021 and was completed in April 2022. In addition to generating renewable energy, the long-planned project will contribute to Gloucester Township’s efforts to become more sustainable.
“We’re extremely honored to win this award,” said Graeme Dutkowsky, VP of construction at Syncarpha Capital. “It’s been a long process to bring this project online and became even more challenging during the height of the Covid-19 supply-chain struggles. This project wouldn’t have been a success without the hard work, dedication and cooperation of all our partners and stakeholders.”
Annually, the solar park is expected to produce nearly 6.1 million kWh of power. Over the course of 25 years, the facility will yield approximately $1 million in lease revenue to Gloucester Township. In October 2022, the GEMS Solar Park helped the township achieve its goal of earning a bronze certification from Sustainable Jersey, a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainability among New Jersey communities.
GEMS Landfill PV Solar Plant was a multi-disciplinary project. Wood Engineering provided the permits and civil design for the project. Structural drawings and calculations, as well as the design of the dual post racking material with 1,366 pre-cast ballast blocks, were provided by Terrasmart. Pure Power Engineering Inc., provided electrical design services for the project. CS Energy was the EPC contractor. The solar array is currently connected to the distribution grid operated by the Atlantic City Electric Co.
Tags: American Society of Civil Engineers, awards, Community Solar, CS Energy, landfill, Pacolet Milliken, Syncarpha Capital, Terrasmart
