Let's Use Landfills as More Than a Dump

Blogger's Note: There are better placements spots for things like wind turbines, and landfills can have other green energy "generators" as well.

Supes to check out energy ideas regarding landfills
Staff Reports
Posted: 01/01/2010 06:24:52 PM PST
From The Sun San Bernardino

County-owned landfills could become the sites of solar arrays, wind turbines and other generators of renewable energy.
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors agreed in December to see proposals from companies that would build renewable energy projects on top of more than 3,000 acres of county-owned landfill property.

"We have several thousand acres of land owned by our Solid Waste Management Division that are perfect for siting renewable energy projects," said First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt. "This will not only help us meet the state's mandated renewable energy goals, but will create jobs and provide revenue to support the county's budget."

San Bernardino County operates six landfills and oversees several closed landfills. Both active and closed landfill sites could be home to renewable energy projects, according to a county-commissioned study.

The county, with its vast expanses of undeveloped desert landscape, is already home to several proposed renewable energy projects, including large-scale solar energy plants near Barstow and the Nevada Border.

"San Bernardino County is going to be a national leader in the development of renewable energy and it will be a key component of our economic future," Mitzelfelt said. "We need to be as creative as possible in encouraging development of this emerging and important industry."

The county has requested proposals for wind, solar and other types of renewable energy