Carly Miller is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media developer Solitude Solar unveiled its plans to build a 6,300-panel community solar array on the closed Hunter Landfill during the Hunter Town Board meeting, June 19. The proposed 2.3-megawatt project could power 500 to 700 homes within the Central Hudson region, said Mike Fingar, Solitude Solar chief operating officer. Under the proposal, panels would be placed inside a 6-foot fence on concrete platforms placed on top of the landfill. The platforms would not penetrate the dump’s barrier, or cap, Fingar said. The landfill is located on Hylan Road in Tannersville and it holds waste from Hunter and five other mountaintop towns. Solitude Solar is now negotiating the details of a 20-year lease with the town. The solar array would be owned by an as yet unidentified second company, Solitude Solar CEO Mark Richardson said. Hunter officials have struggled for five years to attract a solar company to invest in the landfill site, in an effort to convert vacant land into town revenue, Supervisor Daryl Legg said. Hunter Planning Board Chairwoman Sarah Killourhy confirmed that Solitude Solar is pursuing site plan approval, an environmental review and a storm water discharge permit for construction activity, two standard assessments required by the DEC. A public hearing on the proposal will be held July 10 at town hall. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.