FORMER EAST PROVIDENCE SOLAR POWER FACILITY
Former Forbes Street Landfill
East Providence, Rhode Island
The East Providence Solar Power Facility is the largest solar facility in Rhode Island and the first solar facility to be constructed on, and facilitate capping of, an unclosed former municipal landfill. Its 12,848 solar panels now generate 3.7 Megawatts of emission free electricity, enough to power approximately 500 average Rhode Island homes. Over 22 acres of otherwise unusable landfill were capped in the initial phase of the project.
A critical component of the success of the landfill capping project was the receipt of 50,000 cubic yards of clean gravel from the RI Department of Transportation (RIDOT) at no cost to the City from the demolition of the former Route 195 abutments in Providence. Cherenzia negotiated with RIDOT on behalf of the City to secure the material and manage its delivery and placement at the former landfill site. Cherenzia is currently working with the City on the planning and engineering for the final build out of the site which will cap the remainder of the landfill and generate a total of 9 Megawatts of renewable energy.