Annika Colston, the Founder and CEO of AC Power, is the recipient of the 2024 Women in Solar Energy Award, presented by the American Solar Energy Society. The award was formally presented to Ms. Colston at the ASES Annual Awards Banquet on May 21, 2024, at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Annika Colston who is the President and Founder of AC Power. AC Power is an award-winning NYC certified (“Women Business Enterprise”) WBE focused on converting low value land into revenue-generating solar energy sites. Annika speaks about many interesting topics like the complexities of developing on disturbed land, the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act, and her suggestions to start a clean energy company.

In an insightful episode of our podcast, we delve into the transformative realm of renewable energy with Annika Colston, a pioneering leader and the esteemed founder and CEO of AC Power.

A recently completed landfill community solar project in New Jersey is a win on a number of fronts, including delivering clean renewable energy to utility customers, such as lower income residents of the Garden State.

The Global Sanitary Landfill Superfund site covers 57.5 acres. Much of the site is bordered by wetlands and residential areas are located north and west of the site.

A handful of states, mostly based in the Northeast, have incentivized, or at the very least encouraged, solar development on decommissioned landfills within their borders. These plots of land are often untouched and otherwise unfit for commercial development that requires even minor civil work because their soil is capped and should not be penetrated.

Two solar projects, totaling over 12 MWdc sit on a 197-acre decommissioned landfill in Lancaster in Erie County, New York.

NJR Clean Energy Ventures, the renewable energy subsidiary of New Jersey Resources, and AC Power, a woman-owned brownfield solar developer, are making clean energy more accessible to customers with the recent dedication of a new community solar project in Old Bridge.

In Old Bridge Township, New Jersey, what was once an abandoned waste site now has a new lease on life. Designated a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Global Sanitary Landfill has been a burden to the Township for decades. Today, however, solar panels line the landscape, offering clean energy to the surrounding community.

Kendall Sustainable Infrastructure (KSI) is partnering with AC Power and GreenSpark Solar on two brownfield solar sites in upstate New York that total 12.9 MW. The two sites each re-purpose brownfield properties into productive clean energy-producing projects.

AC Power LLC, a New York City-based brownfield solar redeveloper, is excited to announce the addition of Christy Searl as Chief Revenue Officer. This new role represents an investment in AC Power's executive leadership team, positioning the mission-driven firm for rapid, sustainable growth. With an impressive career spanning law, finance, business development and strategic planning, Christy brings a wealth of experience and strategic insight to AC Power.

The Global Sanitary Landfill in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey moved another step closer to becoming a solar energy facility this month with AC Power's sale of the solar project, and its 25-year lease, to NJR Clean Energy Ventures (CEV). Meanwhile, Superfun LLC, an AC Power affiliate, took title to the real estate. This site will become the first New Jersey community solar project in CEV's portfolio and the first superfund site in AC Power's ownership structure.