Four bids submitted for Phoenix landfill solar project

Four companies have submitted proposals to build Phoenix’s first utility-scale solar project at a landfill.

BrightSource Energy Inc., Johnson Controls Inc., Tessera Solar, and the team of US Energy Partners and Munich Energy Partners America submitted applications by the end of June.

The city is hoping to build a 150- to 200-megawatt solar power station on what will be a closed landfill on the west side of State Route 85 south of Buckeye. The project, on about 1,200 acres, will last 20 to 30 years and is part of Mayor Phil Gordon’s effort to make Phoenix green.

City officials said a recommended proposal will be sent to the City Council this fall.

Each of the bidders represents a different solar technology, from concentrated solar power in several forms to photovoltaic systems.