The Metabolon MSW landfill site in Lindlar, Germany has been transferred into a world-class research facility that demonstrates good practices in sustainable waste and resource management, environmental, landfill and renewable technologies. Watershed Geo recently teamed with Teos Energy GmgH to commission a 41 kWp test photovoltaic solar power plant at Metabolon for Germany-based disposal center operator Bergische Waste Management Association (BAV), making it the first international solar site for Watershed Geo.  The site will be used to scale up operations for a future larger plant and will serve as a demonstration site for other landfill owners and regulators to see the unique solar technology first-hand. The technology, called PowerCap™, is installed on top of the engineered geosynthetic closure system, ClosureTurf® at inactive landfill sites.

“Modern waste management and landfill aftercare are at the core of our purpose here at the Leppe Waste Management Facility and the Metabolon R&D Center,” said Pascal Beese Vasbender of Bergischer Abfallwirtschaftsverband (BAV Leppe).  “Through our efforts, we contribute to knowledge transfer, innovation and economic development.  We have tested various photovoltaic systems in the past at Metabolon and we are especially excited about the success of the test field installation of PowerCap™, which is designed specifically for landfill applications. It’s an ideal example of beneficial re-use of available landfill cover surface area.”

PowerCap™ is a patented geotechnical approach to attaching PV modules to a closed landfill surface without penetrating the capping system.  The system was developed to allow for solar energy production on previously unusable land, such as impoundments, landfill brownfields, and topographically challenging land. PowerCap™ does not use traditional ballast but instead incorporates an innovative patent-pending rail system that enhances stability and factors of safety. It directly rests via a friction mechanism on an engineered geosynthetic technology, called ClosureTurf^®, with no penetrations of the closure system.  The system’s unique design allows for high power potential per unit area and for installation on steep slopes for even greater utilization of space.  This can provide as much as three times the power output per unit area compared to a traditional solar racking system.