Milwaukee cuts ribbon on city’s largest solar project

Milwaukee just finished expanding solar power at a former city landfill next to Mitchell International Airport, making it the city's largest solar installation. A new 4.6-megawatt section was added to an existing 2.2-megawatt array built in 2021, bringing the site's total to 6.85 megawatts. The utility We Energies owns the site, and the expansion was built by SunVest under the utility's Renewable Pathway Program, which approves large solar projects at the state level.

The power from this site now helps supply 80 city buildings, mostly fire stations, libraries, and police stations, with 100% renewable electricity, according to Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

Building on top of a capped landfill next to an active airport came with some engineering challenges. The team had to coordinate with the Air National Guard and used a "ballasted racking system," meaning the solar panels are held down by weight instead of being bolted into the ground. That approach let builders install the array without drilling into or damaging the landfill's protective cap underneath.

This is a municipal project, not a residential one, so it does not directly affect what homeowners can install on their own property. But it shows how cities are finding creative ways to use unused land, like old landfills, for solar power, and it points to growing solar activity and utility programs in Wisconsin that homeowners in the state may want to look into when considering their own energy options.