The Solar Park project was not only a challenging task, but also held meaning for Reliable Contracting as it involved the old Annapolis Landfill which was capped by our team decades prior. The project was proposed by Mayor Ellen Moyer in 2009 and despite there being delays with finding a developer, Reliable was hired as the Site Contractor for the 16.8-megawatt solar energy facility.
This 8-month project would span an 80-acre site requiring the use of 55,000 solar panels to top off the capped landfill. We used careful consideration of low ground pressure while working during the winter months to prevent puncturing the cap liner.
Prior to beginning work, the Paving division added Petro Mat Fabric and additional 3” of asphalt to the existing landfill access road. Once this was completed, Tiant Sellman’s crew rose the challenge of installing 3 miles of filter-logs for erosion and sediment control, driving stakes every 4 feet with low pressure load restrictions of 7psi. Jeremy Kirby and Tom Superzinski’s crews installed 2.2 miles of buried conduit followed by Danny Harris’ crew hauling and placing 18,000 tons of aggregates to withstand loads beyond 100,000 lbs. This task was accomplished with the installation of High Performance fabrics to bridge the 18” of stone from the constantly changing subgrade. Upon the completion of these roads, Reliable installed seven 30’ x 60’ stone equipment pads ranging from 3’ to 11’ thick pending on the ground elevation and conditions.
The facility produces enough electricity to power 4,000 homes. The Environmental Protection Acts confirmed at project completion that this is the largest non-federal solar project on a closed landfill in the United States.
| Type of Construction | Size of Project | Contract Value | Duration of Project | Construction Method | Percentage of Labor that is Self-Performed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil | 90 acres | $1,771,675.55 | 8 months | Lump Sum & Unit Pricing | 90% |
Companies who contributed to this project include D&D Drilling, Fence and Deck Connection, Rommel Construction, GroSolar, ARM Group, Recon Corporation.
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