South Burlington, Vermont broke ground this month on a new solar array capping the city landfill. The brownfield solar development is expected to save city taxpayers more than $5 million over its 25-year life on power for the municipal government and the local schools.

The new array in South Burlington would be especially noteworthy in a state like Alabama or Wisconsin, both of which have more sunny days a year than Vermont on average. But neither of those states have nearly the emphasis on solar that Vermont does.