Grand Rapids Is Turning a Once Toxic Landfill Into a Solar Energy Hub

Grand Rapids is about to turn one of its most troubled pieces of land into something that feels surprisingly hopeful.

The city has selected Ohio based Enerlogics Network, Inc. to build a two megawatt solar array at the former Butterworth Landfill site on the southeast side of the city. Once complete, the project will help power municipal buildings, traffic signals and streetlights across Grand Rapids during the daytime.

If that location sounds familiar, it should. The Butterworth site was used as an open dump from 1950 to 1967 before becoming a sanitary landfill. The state shut it down in 1973 after contamination issues involving soil and groundwater. It was later cleaned up and placed on the federal Superfund National Priorities List in 1986, where it remains classified as an EPA Superfund site.

Butterworth Landfill EPA Map

Now, decades later, that same land is poised to help generate clean energy for the city.

The Grand Rapids City Commission’s fiscal committee is set to approve a power purchasing agreement, which will clear the way for a 25 year deal. Final approval is expected at the commission’s 7 pm meeting tonight (Feburary 24th) through a consent agenda vote.

Under the agreement, the solar array will be owned by the developer, and the city will purchase the electricity it generates at an agreed upon rate. The power will feed into the city’s primary circuit, which supplies energy to about 18,000 streetlights, traffic signals and roughly 100 municipal facilities.

Construction is expected to begin by July 4 in order to secure maximum tax credits, and the buildout is projected to take between 12 and 18 months.

From a financial standpoint, the city says the cost will be based on the kilowatt hour of electricity produced. Compared to what Grand Rapids would pay under its current renewable energy subscription with Consumers Energy, the estimated net difference over 25 years is about $68,716. That’s a huge help compared to the empty land it’s currently being used as.

There is also room for growth on this plot, which is even better news. The two megawatt array will not take up the entire former landfill, leaving space for additional arrays in the future. City leaders are still evaluating long term plans for the site, which is unique because of how close it sits to downtown Grand Rapids.

One idea being explored by the Grand Rapids Kent County Convention Arena Authority includes building a parking lot to support service industry workers connected to the new amphitheater and soccer stadium developments nearby.

The infrastructure needed to connect the solar energy to the city’s primary circuit is being supported by a $3 million grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. That funding will cover the construction of circuit lines that tie the array into the city’s broader electrical system.

There is something super full circle about this development. A site that was once contaminated soil and groundwater will soon help power thousands of streetlights and public buildings with renewable energy. Grand Rapids is not just cleaning up its past, It is quite literally building it’s future on it.