The long-anticipated solar array atop Southampton Town’s landfill in North Sea is now complete.
The 11,000-panel array is atop portions of the former Majors Path landfill, and is expected to produce 8.6 million kilowatts per year, enough to power more than 700 households. Over the course of a 20-year lease, the project is anticipated to provide $1.65 million in revenue for the Town, along with energy credits that will reduce electric bills for local ratepayers enrolled in a Community Solar program.
Built by Kearsarge Energy, the array is anticipated to provide power to Southampton Town buildings, 600 customers enrolled in the Community Solar program, many of whom are in low-income households, and on the open market.
Representatives from the Southampton Town Board, the Sustainable Southampton Green Advisory Committee, and others held a March 26 ribbon cutting at the site.
Former Deputy Supervisor Frank Zappone, who has served as liaison to the project since 2021, emceed the program.
“The road to this ribbon-cutting has involved a lengthy, but productive process,” said Town Supervisor Maria Moore. “Our community is grateful for the commitment of everyone who contributed to this project—from its inception to its transformational conclusion.”
“Not only will this project deliver lower rates for ratepayers, but it will help us advance our community solar initiatives. Made with U.S. steel and local concrete, the Southampton community has a lot to be proud of,” added Councilman Michael Iasilli.
The town opened the 131-acre site as a landfill in 1963, where it accepted waste until 1995. Under New York’s 1983 Long Island Landfill Law, local “dumps” started closing or converting into transfer stations that still took recyclables, but held regular refuse to be trucked offsite.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency placed the landfill on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List in June 1986. By 1992, the town had removed over 100,000 cubic yards of material and capped multiple disposal sites, known as cells. The remediated status and continuous monitoring allowed for limited redevelopment.
With encouragement from the EPA, four years ago, the town began researching and planning construction of the solar facility over Cells 1, 2, and 3, comprising 17 acres in total.
In 2022, the town issued a competitive Request for Proposals to select a contractor to design, build, operate, and maintain the array. After interviews with seven responding firms, Kearsarge Energy of Massachusetts was selected for its experience building over landfills and the company’s technical, managerial, and financial credentials. Design and permitting work continued through 2023, and construction began in the summer of 2024.
For more information regarding sustainable initiatives in the Town of Southampton, visit its Energy & Sustainability web page.
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