Transforming a Landfill Site to a Solar Site: A Veolia Case Study

Landfill gas and solar power might seem like separate concepts, but did you know that transforming a landfill site into a solar site is entirely possible? It’s an effective way to extend the life of a landfill gas project while boosting its potential. Let’s explore how it works – and why it’s worth considering.

Landfill gas has been a part of the UK’s energy landscape since 1990 when Packington Landfill began generating electricity from it. While it remains a valuable energy source, the rise of solar farms has opened up new opportunities, giving many landfill sites a fresh purpose.

In the coming years, the UK could turn thousands of acres of closed landfill into solar farms, making it far easier to reach net-zero limits.

But how do you actually transform a landfill site into a solar site? And what can councils do to make the process smoother? I’m here to walk you through it step by step.

I’ll share real examples from operators like Veolia and Viridor to show how this transformation works. It’s not as complicated as it might seem, but understanding the details is key.

The Usual Role of Landfill Sites in Renewable Energy

As I’ve already mentioned, the UK has been generating electricity from landfill gas for years. And as of 2022, a total of 454 sites are producing renewable energy from landfill gas.

For context, the average landfill site currently produces enough electricity to power 1,800 UK homes every year. This energy earns approximately £800,000 per year from the sale of renewable energy, which is a considerable amount.

For many landowners/councils and site operators, this offers a highly predictable and stable cash flow for landfill sites that are reaching the ends of their usable lives. To make things even more appealing, the government currently provides a subsidy equal to 50 per cent of the site’s annual income through the Renewables Obligation Certificate (ROC) scheme. This figure rises annually with inflation, keeping the projects viable.

However, energy generation from these sites has fallen from 5,318 gigawatt-hours in 2011 to just 3,101 gigawatt-hours in 2022. It’s currently sitting at a rate of 7.9 per cent per year and is still in natural decline.

This reduction is due to several factors: the natural decline of landfill gas, drier weather conditions across the UK, and tighter restrictions on what waste can be sent to landfills.

As landfill gas is ultimately a finite energy source, this trend is expected. However, it leaves landowners (including councils) and operators reliant on these sites facing a notable income gap.

It’s also worth noting that income for landfill site operators may fall by as much as 65 per cent in the next six years.

This figure is partly due to the decline in gas at these sites. However, it’s also down to the end of government subsidies that kept a lot of these projects profitable. As a result, landfill site revenues could quickly fall from the previously mentioned £800,000 to as little as £158,000 per year.

Are you unsure about how you’ll replace lost revenue after your landfill gas site’s reserves deplete? Learn more about how solar can secure your site’s future in our rundown of the future of landfill gas.

Want to Stay Ahead of the Curve on Landfill Gas Opportunities?

Our essential guide breaks down what the end of ROCs means for landowners.

Whether you’re already hosting landfill gas infrastructure or exploring the opportunity, this guide will help you understand:

• How Contracts for Difference (CfDs) really work.
• What you need to know about strike prices, auction rounds, and revenue certainty.
• The pros and cons of entering a CfD agreement.

Get the guide now and make informed decisions about the future of your site.

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Transforming a Landfill Site Into a Solar Site: Veolia and Viridor

Now that I’ve covered the facts regarding landfill gas decline in the UK, I want to take a closer look at two landfill operators that are safeguarding their future revenues.

Both operators have installed solar panels at some of their landfill sites to continue making a reliable income from their projects.

Ling Hall: Veolia

One of the most famous examples of this is Veolia’s Ling Hall site near Rugby Town Centre.

Local authorities granted planning permission in 1991 and the project continues to accept household, commercial and industrial waste. It processes around 40,000 tonnes of waste annually and should remain open until 2040. This’ll allow the site to fill its remaining void, complete necessary restoration, and finish any profiling work.

This single site has generated energy equivalent to the amount needed to power all the refrigerators in Warwickshire for over a year. Plus, it produces enough energy to power all the homes in Stratford-upon-Avon every year – so it’s a rather significant site.

However, the amount of electricity produced at the Ling Hall landfill site has fallen by 12.5 per cent per year over the past six years. As I’ve already discussed, this is only set to continue falling.

Veolia drew up plans to build a solar park on the Ling Hall Landfill Site to secure their income for the future. The Local Authority granted planning consent in 2014, which is valid until September 2040.

By turning the landfill losses into solar gains, local authorities have given land that would be otherwise unproductive a new life.

Ockendon, Essex: Veolia

In addition to Ling Hall, Veolia has increased its solar capacity with a site at Ockendon in Essex.

Able to generate enough electricity to power 15,000 homes, this solar site adds 59 MWp to the UK’s renewable energy capacity.

The site boasts 107,000 bi-facial solar models designed to absorb light on both sides, hugely maximising power density.

The technology provider REG Power Management is developing the site, and it marks a significant step in the country’s move toward net zero.

Westbury Landfill Site: Viridor

While Veolia’s progress is impressive, it’s not the first time a developer has built a solar park on a municipal landfill site.

In 1998 and 2014, Viridor commissioned the Westbury Landfill Site to produce both landfill gas and solar energy. The site, which housed 12,780 solar panels, was the first in the UK to feature a solar park built on a municipal landfill gas site.

The six-megawatt (MW) solar PV equipment and inverters cost an eye-watering £6.8 million back in 2014. However, the solar farm had already generated £4.1 million in turnover during its first six years of operation. This figure adds up to nearly £680,000 per year – a sum more than large enough to justify the construction cost.

The site did have a few construction issues, with the project manager, Mike Denman, stating:

The ground made it tricky to install the panels as you would normally, so our contractor had to use railway sleepers to fix the panels and stop them from taking off like a kite.

However, the grassland around the site continues to support local biodiversity, making it a win-win for Viridor.

Is anyone else jumping on the bandwagon?

These examples are the UK’s most famous instances of turning landfill gas sites into solar sites. But they’re certainly not the only ones.

Ofgem’s records show that 15 other UK landfill sites (excluding Ling Hall) are producing energy from both landfill gas and solar. And as landfill gas wanes, it’s expected that many more of the 454 sites I mentioned in the introduction will follow suit.

Each site (on average) has produced energy from landfill gas since 2004. They now have an average installed capacity of 2.3 MW. Moreover, authorities have commissioned each to produce electricity from solar power since June 2015, with an average solar capacity of 9.4 MW.

How Does a Landfill Gas Site Turn Into a New Project Hosting Solar Panels?

When a landfill site reaches the end of its usable life, councils, or those who own the land, will want to retain as much income as possible. As I mentioned earlier, the viability of a landfill gas site decreases over time as the gas available naturally depletes.

Typically, landfill gas sites are far from residential areas, and relevant authorities have already linked them up for electricity production. So, transforming a landfill site into a solar site is easier than you might think.

However, there are a few things that need to be considered before transforming a landfill site into a solar site.

How to Turn a Landfill Site Into a Solar Site

Step 1: Useable acreage

Some solar sites will be limited due to the slopes on the land being too large. However, landfill sites usually have minimal grades, making them stellar candidates for solar.

In short, the flatter the area, the simpler the project is to design and build. And with more straightforward requirements comes a more accessible, less costly construction process.

However, it’s worth mentioning that the usable acreage for a solar site needs to be large enough to support a viable project. For example, CS Energy will only consider projects with at least 20 acres on top of the landfill. If it’s less than this, it won’t even be considered.

Step 2: Planning permission

While planning permission usually involves jumping through several hoops, it should be easier to get for solar sites perched on landfills.

This is mainly because:

• Landfill sites are away from residential areas and quite remote
• They’re typically suitable for solar
• They’re unlikely to cause any community upset

While you’d still need to apply for planning permission for the solar panels, the process should be manageable.

By combining a landfill and solar site, you’d have projects running simultaneously for the lifetime of both projects. For the landfill site, this could be as long as another 50 years (depending on the current gas stores).

Step 3: Constructing the solar site

The most critical part of the transformation of your site will be building the solar project itself. You’ll need to ensure the landfill cap isn’t compromised at any point. And this in itself can make solar landfill sites approximately 10 to 20 per cent more pricey to construct than typical solar systems.

It’s also worth noting that rewriting the permits for the new project will also be relatively costly.

During construction, you’ll also need to think about:

• Planning of permanent access roads for maintenance
• What type of panel racking design you use to support the site
• Whether you’ll use flexible conduit systems
• How you’ll manage onsite construction traffic during panel installation

So, make sure you start planning well in advance to make sure you’ve covered every base.

Step 4: Compare sites

If it’s your first time putting solar panels on a landfill site, you may not know where to start.

While councils often put contracts out to tender for repowering a landfill site, getting panels on the land instead is slightly different. And as much of the landfill’s gradient will be flat and suitable for panels, it’s a potential goldmine that could outstrip the landfill gas gains.

I recommend starting with a  Lumify SiteScan™ to get off on the right foot. This will help you compare your royalty rates with other sites nationwide.

This market knowledge will give you the cold, hard facts you’ll need to negotiate a great deal with an incoming site operator or improve rates with an existing one.

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It’s important to assess the current performance of the site and estimate how long it will take before revenue declines. With some initial guidance, you can get a clear idea of the next steps for your project.

What Challenges Might Landowners (Including Councils) Face During this Transitional Process?

The process is relatively easy, but there are still challenges to consider:

Contracts and finding site operators

If a landfill gas site transitions into a solar site (or operates simultaneously with one), you must draw up new contracts.

This is because you’ll need a site operator to run the site, maintain the equipment and ensure all environmental regulations are followed.

After all, a solar site and a landfill gas site aren’t the same thing – so, you need to draw up a different set of guidelines.

The need to be proactive

If you’re repowering a landfill site and getting solar panels on your land, you must consider contract negotiations more carefully.

Site operators running a landfill site with plenty of usable life will be reluctant to give up their source of income, and they might resort to scare tactics to retain control.

For example, they may refuse to help with getting the documents the environmental regulators require for the switch. Or they may say that any Grid connection will go with them, removing all necessary environmental permits.

Now, in my experience, these things rarely play out. I’ve successfully worked with landowners to get all of these elements transferred into their names without help from outgoing operators.

But it’s crucial to be proactive. Transferring a site takes time, and you’ll need to liaise with the network operator to get everything in place properly. Time is truly of the essence, so it’s essential to get started early to avoid common pitfalls.

Figuring out transitional arrangements for the site

Whether you’re repowering a landfill site or placing a solar site over the land, you’ll need to work out transitional arrangements for the project. And that’s because someone must always be around to manage a landfill site, as methane gas is an environmental hazard.

So, you’d need to negotiate handing over equipment after a current operator leaves. You’d also need to work out whether you’d need to hire diesel engines to continue maintaining the stack between operators.

If the landfill site is entirely out of commission and is no longer operational, you’d still need to ensure the site was fully managed. And that’s because any methane gas leakage from the site is a severe environmental hazard.

Keeping up with environmental regulations and reports

As mentioned earlier, the government highly regulates landfill sites as they’re potentially hazardous. If there’s any change in the operator during your site’s life, it’s crucial to inform the environmental regulator beforehand and the energy regulator, Ofgem, within 14 days of the old operator leaving.

This is because the current operator will have an environmental permit, and the regulator needs to ensure they are complying with their obligations. If the regulator doesn’t know who to check on, this can cause serious issues.

When the current operator leaves or a solar site is added, someone needs to handle all the relevant monthly or annual reporting for the site. This is the law, so it’s critical that you do the reporting promptly and adequately.

There are typically two permits for a landfill site:

• One that allows a landowner to collect and bury rubbish at the site (without contaminating the water basin under the land)
• One that allows someone to generate electricity from the site

If the operation of the site changes for any reason, the second permit needs to be replaced and authorised by the regulator. This ensures that electricity generation can continue in compliance with the law.

If you don’t report a change in operators quickly enough, the ROC subsidies the site enjoyed may no longer be valid. So, there’s a lot at stake here.

You’ll need to request the transfer of the accreditation so it’s in the name of the new operator. It’s critical to let Ofgem know as soon as possible, but the actual transfer of the subsidies can take some time.

Moving from existing operators to new ones

If you plan to bring in a new operator to manage the site when you add solar panels, you’ll need to draw up a new lease.

As mentioned earlier, few site operators will want to give up a site, but if you decide to change operators, you’ll need to draw up a lease and discuss how much they’d be willing to pay for the land.

The new operator will also need to submit applications for permits, such as the environmental permit I mentioned. They can also help you apply for Grid connection and assess the costs of leasing any necessary equipment.

The Future of Landfill Sites

As the UK moves towards net-zero limits and climate goals, landfill solar sites will only become more prevalent nationwide.

While Veolia and Viridor’s efforts are leading the pack, more landfill gas operators and councils will look at transforming a landfill site into a solar site. After all, they’d just be leaving money on the table otherwise.

There are approximately 454 landfills currently generating electricity. Personally, I believe that developers will eventually turn most of these sites into large-scale solar farms.

With that comes a huge potential step forward for the UK’s solar market, bringing us closer to our renewable energy goals.

If you want to learn more about transforming a landfill site into a solar site, get in touch. The expert team at Lumify Energy has helped many landfill site owners (including councils) through the process, offering easy-to-digest guidance to demystify each step. And remember – being proactive is vital with these projects, so getting a head start is never a bad idea.