KINGSTON, N.Y. — Officials in Ulster County have flipped the switch on the region's solar landfill project.

The project is part of the county's ongoing commitment to clean energy, and will help meet the electrical needs of county government buildings.

The solar farm is built on a former landfill, now named the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency.

County Executive Mike Hein (D) is thrilled leaders were able to identify underutilized land to help reduce the county's carbon footprint.

"What we have identified here is a former landfill that would've sat fallow for hundreds of years," Hein said, "And instead of that, it's going to be generating 20 percent of all the electricity Ulster County government uses and we already use renewable energy for 100% of the energy utilize. We couldn't be more excited."

Hein adds the project is preventing more than 4,000 barrels of oil from being burned per year, as well as 2 million pounds of coal.

He says more environmental projects in the county are in the process of being developed.