Archived
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Location
Lexington, Kentucky
Start Date
6-5-2026 2:00 PM
End Date
6-5-2026 2:30 PM
Description
The engineered turf final closure system, ClosureTurf®, is installed on a 309-acre coal combustion residual (CCR) unit at the TVA Shawnee Fossil Plant in West Paducah, KY. Approximately 100 megawatts of the PowerCap® solar photovoltaic (PV) system is currently being deployed directly atop the engineered turf cover. An overview of the ClosureTurf® and PowerCap® systems are presented along with a comparison to traditional soil covers and conventional utility-scale solar arrays. From August 2023 through July 2025, onsite and local weather data stations reported over 20 storm events including severe thunderstorms, tornado outbreaks, winter storm systems, atmospheric rivers, and post-tropical cyclones. The paper provides an in-depth case study of ClosureTurf® and PowerCap® system field performance under severe weather conditions, including ten separate rainfall event intensities exceeding 4 in/hour (102 mm/hr) with a maximum rainfall intensity of 7.7 in/hr (196 mm/hr), wind gusts exceeding 48 mph (77 km/h), and partial site flooding from the adjacent Ohio River. Post-event inspections confirmed the structural integrity and continued functionality of both technologies, supporting the viability of landfill closure with renewable energy generation using these systems in areas prone to significant weather events.
Document Type
Presentation
Archival?
Archival
Included in
Energy Systems Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Mining Engineering Commons, Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons, Structural Materials Commons, Sustainability Commons
Engineered Turf and Solar Renewable Performance on CCR in Extreme Weather
Lexington, Kentucky
The engineered turf final closure system, ClosureTurf®, is installed on a 309-acre coal combustion residual (CCR) unit at the TVA Shawnee Fossil Plant in West Paducah, KY. Approximately 100 megawatts of the PowerCap® solar photovoltaic (PV) system is currently being deployed directly atop the engineered turf cover. An overview of the ClosureTurf® and PowerCap® systems are presented along with a comparison to traditional soil covers and conventional utility-scale solar arrays. From August 2023 through July 2025, onsite and local weather data stations reported over 20 storm events including severe thunderstorms, tornado outbreaks, winter storm systems, atmospheric rivers, and post-tropical cyclones. The paper provides an in-depth case study of ClosureTurf® and PowerCap® system field performance under severe weather conditions, including ten separate rainfall event intensities exceeding 4 in/hour (102 mm/hr) with a maximum rainfall intensity of 7.7 in/hr (196 mm/hr), wind gusts exceeding 48 mph (77 km/h), and partial site flooding from the adjacent Ohio River. Post-event inspections confirmed the structural integrity and continued functionality of both technologies, supporting the viability of landfill closure with renewable energy generation using these systems in areas prone to significant weather events.
