Fairfax County, Virginia, breaks ground on solar array at landfill

Fairfax County, Virginia, and private energy developer Madison Energy Infrastructure have begun the process of converting part of a closed landfill site in Lorton into a solar array, reports FFXNow. The county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) and the developer officially broke ground June 18 on the 5-megawatt solar array project.

The project, built on top of the I-95 Landfill Complex, will generate enough energy for 1,000 homes, Fairfax County says in a news release. The array will cover 37 acres of the closed landfill, taking up space previously considered unusable.

“The energy produced from the project will be credited virtually to other county energy accounts, which will be selected to maximize the cost savings to the county,” the news release says. “The project could save the county $12 million over the 30-year partnership and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 136,000 metric tons over the same period.”

Fairfax County had been exploring the possibility of installing solar panels on the defunct Lorton landfill since at least 2017. But the project couldn’t move forward until the Virginia General Assembly passed the 2020 Solar Freedom Act, which allowed residents and businesses to purchase electricity through renewable sources and included a specific clause authorizing the landfill project.

Last year, FFXNow reported that DPWES also installed a new rooftop solar array at the Newington Solid Waste Facility in Lorton. A rooftop array at the I-66 Transfer Station was recently installed, and construction is underway on a solar array for the I-95 Landfill Complex’s administrative building.

The Lorton landfill project will be the county’s largest solar array. Its construction comes as Fairfax County leaders say the region also desperately needs new energy sources to keep up with demand, including for data centers and artificial intelligence development.

For the project, the county is leasing a portion of the landfill to Madison Energy, which is developing it and connecting it with the Dominion Energy system.

A lease agreement from 2022 said the private developer will bear the costs to design, permit, build, own, operate and maintain the project, while the county will purchase electricity once the site is operational.

The county anticipates saving $12 million over its 30-year partnership with Madison Energy, according to DPWES, and the solar array in Lorton will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 136,000 metric tons over that period.

“This solar project represents a monumental step forward for Fairfax County’s commitment to sustainability and renewable energy,” Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination Director John Morrill says. “As the largest solar installation in the county and the first on a closed landfill in Virginia, this project not only sets a precedent for innovative use of space but also promises significant cost savings and environmental benefits.”

The project is slated for completion in spring 2026.