Part of a city-owned closed landfill at near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport will be dedicated to generating solar power, under a resolution adopted by the Common Council. Aldermen on Tuesday unanimously approved leasing to We Energies about 8 acres, where the company will build and operate a 2.25-megawatt solar array through its Solar Now pilot program.
The lease lasts 20 years. “Between the pocketbook, environment and security, it’s as close to a win-win-win as you can get,” Ald. Scott Spiker, the measure’s sponsor, told the Journal Sentinel. The project is in Spiker’s district. The resolution states that revenue from the lease “is intended” to be put toward other climate action initiatives.
The lease payments will depend on what’s generated, but they’re estimated to be between $90,000 and $100,000 each year, Spiker said. The city won’t pay anything to build or maintain the solar array, he said.
On Tuesday, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett held a news conference at the field where the solar system is to be built, saying this is the largest solar project in the city’s history. He tied the project, which will include more than 7,000 solar panels, to the city’s goal of getting 25% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025. It will provide enough power for more than 460 homes, Barrett said.