Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just celebrated the unveiling of its largest solar installation.

Recently, a 4.6-megawatt expansion array was completed at an old urban landfill near Mitchell International Airport, bringing the site's total capacity to 6.85 megawatts. The initial 2.2-megawatt array at the landfill was finished in 2021. We Energies owns the site, while SunVest designed and constructed this new expansion project under the utility company's state-approved renewable energy pathway program.

"With the completion of the project, 80 urban buildings are now powered by 100% renewable energy," said Mayor Cavalier Johnson. These buildings primarily include fire stations, libraries, and police stations.

Building a closed landfill near the airport poses unique challenges for the project, including coordination with the Air Force National Guard and advanced non-penetrating ground installation designs.

"This is an interesting yet challenging project for the company," said Dave Mason, Senior Project Manager at Sunvest. "We designed a counterweight support system for the project—panels are not anchored to the ground but remain stable through weight distribution, allowing us to set up arrays on landfills without damaging the underlying cover layer."