A company that owns a 48-acre landfill in DeKalb County, Georgia plans to convert the site into a solar energy farm.

Republic Services, which owns the Hickory Ridge landfill, says it will use a $2 million federal stimulus grant to make the change.

The company and the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority say the plant will be the biggest single producer of solar power in Georgia.

Republic first tried out the technology in San Antonio, at a smaller site.

Republic says it wants solar caps to become a legitimate alternative to closing landfills in the usual way, which requires layers of dirt and vegetation on top.