Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Solar panel farm proposed for Oaks Landfill near Olney

Montgomery County is proposing to erect photovoltaic solar panels on top of the Oaks Landfill at 6001 Olney-Laytonsville road near Olney. The project would be funded and constructed by Elon Musk's Tesla, Inc.

If the plan goes forward (and the County announcement makes it sound like it will no matter what), construction would begin as early as next spring, with completion expected in October 2019.

A public meeting on the proposal will be held on Monday, October 23, 2017 at 6:30 PM at Laytonsville Elementary School at 21401 Laytonsville Road.
View of Oaks Landfill site
from Riggs Road
County Councilmember Hans Riemer has also suggested this site be studied as the new Montgomery County Public Schools bus depot; it's unclear how much of the 170-acre former landfill would be taken up by the solar farm. What is certain, is that many trees and wildlife habitat would be lost to either project. Considering that the only real health danger from solar panels arises if they catch fire, one would hope the County is ensuring there are no volatile gas deposits remaining in the landfill below.

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