DuPont has commissioned a 548kw solar installation located on five-acres of former Superfun landfill site in Newport, Delaware. The solar farm will produce enough electricity to power 60 homes and will generate approximately 729,000 kilowatt hours of power per year.

After successfully completing remediation at the Newport site, and with the support of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Delaware Division of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC), DuPont collaborated with Tangent Energy Solutions to put develop the solar project. Greenwood Energy owns the project and solar panels were provided by DuPont Apollo.

During a celebration event held at DuPont’s Photovoltaics Application Lab, Delaware Governor Jack Markell said of the new project, “The DuPont Solar Power Project complements Delaware’s commitment toward using clean, renewable energy sources. Generating solar energy benefits the residents of Newport, and positively impacts our state – increasing our competitiveness, reducing air pollution, improving public health and creating jobs.”

Linda Fisher, vice president – DuPont Safety, Health & Environment & Chief Sustainability Officer said to the crowd, “We’re very excited about this project because it is the first time we’ve utilized solar on a former landfill. The project will reduce DuPont’s greenhouse gas emissions by 350 tons a year and reuse a portion of a federal Superfund site that had been considered to be unusable land. This is a great example of what we’re trying to do at DuPont around the world: working collaboratively to help meet the growing demand for energy with renewable fuels.”

This represents the 11th solar installation on DuPont land to date, and the fourth in Delaware.

“Under the RE-Powering America Initiative, EPA encourages renewable energy development on current and formerly contaminated land when it is aligned with the community’s vision for the site,” added Shawn Garvin, regional administrator – EPA Mid-Atlantic Region 3. “When we work together to turn an environmental problem into an opportunity, we create the best of what is possible – here solar energy will serve the families of Newport and inspire others to re-power America with alternative energy solutions.”