In 2019, the Minnesota Legislature allocated funding to the Environmental Quality Board to study the potential for solar development on Minnesota’s Closed Landfill Program sites. Solar development on these sites would put underutilized, contaminated land to use generating clean energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and creating jobs and revenue. Siting solar development on brownfields like closed landfills can reduce development pressure on other lands, such as farmland and natural areas. The Environmental Quality Board delivered a report to the legislature in December 2020, and data about Closed Landfills Program sites is now available below.
Report
- Feasibility of Solar Development on State-Managed Closed Landfills: A Report to the Legislature (6 MB, PDF)
GIS Data Tool
- Solar on Closed Landfills Data Tool (Barr Engineering Co.) -- Use this tool to search for information about specific Closed Landfill Program sites, transmission lines, substation locations, and other public data. Barr Engineering Co. developed this tool as part of the feasibility study contract with the Environmental Quality Board in 2020.
Presentations
- Solar on Minnesota Closed Landfills Feasibility Study: What Did We Learn? (December 9, 2020)
- Environmental Quality Board meeting (November 18, 2020)