Solar panels planned for former landfill site

Devices would be installed in Alameda by Oakland airport

ALAMEDA » Locals call it “Mount Trashmore” — a former Bay Area landfill near Oakland International Airport that’s been covered up and turned into a grassy field.

The field is popular with dog walkers, has a model airplane area and features a bicycle path along the edge.

But the city-owned spot also contains underground pumps and pipes that help convert methane produced by the buried trash to carbon dioxide. which isn’t healthy for the visiting public.

Alameda city officials now hope to install approximately 7,830 solar panels at the site at Doolittle Drive and Harbor Bay Parkway, as well as 16 “inverters,” or equipment used to convert sunlight to energy. The converted energy would be fed directly into the power grid.

Alameda Municipal Power, the city-owned utility that supplies electricity to the Island’s residents and businesses, is behind the project, which has been in the works since at least October 2017.

The solar array would be installed 40 feet above the ground on structures covering about 11 acres of the 33acre site.

“We are very excited about the opportunity of doing this solar project,” said Jerry Serventi of the city’s Public Utilities Board. “And we look forward to the ability to build this facility for the city of Alameda.”

The city is monitoring the decomposition of the trash beneath the ground.

In about 25 years, or 2045, when the remediation should be finished and the area is considered fully safe for the public, the panels would be removed so the site could become an open space park, according to city Planner Henry Dong.

“It’s a good thing if it helps reduce climate change and helps the environment,” Cindy Nguyen, 31, of Alameda, said as she walked her dog near the field on a recent afternoon. I just hope the panels will not look too industrial.”

The Planning Board will consider approving the panels on Monday. The board was set to consider the installation March 9, but city staff asked for a postponement.

“We have a little more work to do,” said Andrew Thomas, the city’s planning, building and transportation director.

The project’s estimated cost was not available.

In a letter to the board, Alameda residents Linda Carloni, Leora Feeney and Marjorie Powell said they supported the solar array.

But they also noted the field is near waterways, including Oakland’s Martin Luther Regional Shoreline Park, and cited a bird database that found 126 species have been sited in the area, including ducks, wading birds and terrestrial songbirds.

Waterbirds could find it difficult to distinguish reflective solar panels from water, they said in urging the Planning Board to consider whether the project’s design might need to be tweaked to protect wildlife.

The area served as a waste dump between 1953 and 1985. The Chuck Corica Municipal Golf Complex is located approximately 130 feet away across Doolittle Drive, while Oakland International Airport is 320 feet to the southeast, according to city officials.