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Officials unveil stunning transformation of former landfill: 'A powerful example'

The trash site just became the public's treasure.

Baltimore County, Maryland, just pulled off an impressive glow-up, turning a former landfill into a massive clean energy powerhouse.

Photo Credit: iStock

Baltimore County, Maryland, just pulled off an impressive glow-up — turning a former landfill into a massive clean energy powerhouse.

The Parkton Landfill, once home to piles of waste, is now filled with something far more valuable: sunlight. According to Electrek, the new 213-acre solar farm is generating about 8.2 million kilowatt-hours of power in its first year. That's enough to provide around 11% of the county government's annual electricity use — roughly equivalent to powering more than 1,000 homes.

County Executive Kathy Klausmeier called the project a smart investment for the future. 

"We are cutting costs for taxpayers and making investments that benefit our communities for decades," Klausmeier said, per Electrek.

TotalEnergies Managing Director Eric Potts agreed, describing the site as a "powerful example of transforming underutilized assets into productive resources." In other words, one county's trash site just became everyone's treasure.

Projects such as this are becoming more common across the U.S., as communities reimagine closed landfills and empty lots as solar farms. This results in cleaner energy, lower costs, and a second life for forgotten spaces. That means less pressure on energy grids and more savings for local governments — wins all around.

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Solar power projects have been popping up in other creative ways as well, such as floating solar farms and solar sculptures that track the sun as it moves across the sky, proving there's no shortage of bright ideas when it comes to generating clean power.

Installing solar panels is the ultimate home energy hack — it can even bring your electricity costs down to $0. EnergySage makes it simple to compare quotes from vetted local installers and can help you save up to $10,000 on installation. Plus, going solar makes it cheaper to run other efficient electric appliances, such as heat pumps — and Mitsubishi can help you find the right one for your home.

From landfill to light source, Baltimore County's project shows how innovation and sustainability can literally shine in the same place.

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