like us 

Local Government Commission

Currents


Fall 2012

 

Siting Renewable Energy On Potentially Contaminated Land And Mine Sites

EPA is encouraging renewable energy development on current and formerly contaminated land and mine sites when it is aligned with the community’s vision for the site. This initiative identifies the renewable energy potential of these sites and provides other useful resources for communities, developers, industry, state and local governments or anyone interested in reusing these sites for renewable energy development.

Solar and wind energy screening tools were recently developed through a collaborative effort by EPA and DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The tools provide criteria in Q/A format to help local & state governments, clean-up project managers, and landowners screen sites for solar PV or wind power from both a technical and economic standpoint, without requiring expertise.

renewable

This screening process can distinguish the most eligible sites from those where solar or wind energy may not be viable, enabling stakeholders to focus attention and limited funding on good candidate sites. Targeted sites include potentially contaminated land, such as brownfields and landfills, underutilized rooftops, abandoned parcels, and inactive parking lots. The tools are available on EPA's Re-Power America website at: http://www.epa.gov/renewableenergyland/.

RE-Powering Resources:

  • Listen to EPA staff interview the OSWER Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus to discuss renewable energy on contaminated lands in this podcast. This discussion introduces the benefits of RE-Powering and EPA’s new Wind and Solar Decision Trees.
  • Handbook on Siting Renewable Energy Projects While Addressing Environmental Issues (PDF) (41 pp, 2MB)
    EPA developed a handbook to increase the awareness of the opportunities for siting renewable energy projects while addressing environmental site issues during all phases of cleanup. More information about this handbook is available on the Reports and Fact Sheets web page.
  • Solar Decision Tree (PDF) (18 pp, 815K) and Wind Decision Tree (PDF) (18 pp, 864K)
    EPA Headquarters, EPA’s Region 9 Office, and the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) have developed decision trees to screen potentially contaminated and underutilized sites for solar and wind potential. More information about the tool is available on the Reports and Fact Sheets web page.
  • Renewable Energy Feasibility Studies on Contaminated Properties
    On November 4th, EPA announced that it will be working with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to evaluate the feasibility of developing renewable energy production on 26 Superfund, brownfields, and former landfill or mining sites. The press release is available online.
  • Reports and Fact Sheets
    Includes materials that describe the RE-Powering initiative's purpose and its analyses. Also includes fact sheets that describe the sites where EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) are analyzing the potential for wind, solar, or small hydro development on potentially contaminated land.
  • Mapping Tools
  • Data Information
    Provides the data and screening criteria used to determine the renewable energy potential for the mapping projects.
  • Incentives
    Provides federal and state specific renewable energy and contaminated lands redevelopment incentives.
  • Success Stories
    Highlights projects with successful renewable energy development projects on contaminated land and mine sites.
  • Frequently Asked Questions
    Answers to frequently asked questions about the RE-Powering initiative.
  • Events
    Renewable energy meetings and conferences.
    • Webinar Series
      The next RE-Powering webinar will be May 22nd, 2012 at 2 pm EST. This webinar will provide an overview of tools available to local governments to help them get renewable energy projects built on contaminated land in their community.

For further information regarding RE-Powering America's Land: Renewable Energy on Potentially Contaminated Land and Mine Sites, please contact: cleanenergy@epa.gov