RE-Powering America's Land: Renewable
Energy on Contaminated Land and Mining Sites
Solar photovoltaic (PV) facility at a former landfill in Fort Carson, CO.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Annual Energy Outlook 2008, by 2030 U.S. electricity
production will need to increase by nearly 30 percent to meet growing demand.1 It is estimated that the equivalent of
more than 320 mid-sized, coal-fired power plants would be needed to increase U.S. electricity production capacity to
meet this rising electricity demand by 2030.2
As communities become more concerned about the environmental
impacts of fossil fuels, clean and renewable energy technologies will
play a greater role in meeting future electricity demand. Currently, wind,
solar and biomass facilities supply 2.3% of our nation's electricity.3 While
these clean and renewable sources currently make up only a small
fraction of energy production, clean and renewable energy production
is expected to increase by more than 70% between 2006 and 2030.4
Identifying and using land located in areas with high quality clean
and renewable energy resources will be an essential component of
developing more electricity from clean and renewable energy sources.
Contaminated Lands Can Support Increasing Clean and Renewable
Energy Demands
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that
there are approximately 480,000 sites and almost 15 million acres
of potentially contaminated properties across the United States that
are tracked by EPA.5 This estimate includes Superfund, Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Brownfields, and abandoned
mine lands. Cleanup goals have been achieved and controls put in place
to ensure long-term protection for more than 850,000 acres.6 Through
coordination and partnerships among federal, state, tribal and other
government agencies, utilities, communities and the private sector, many
new clean and renewable energy facilities can be developed on these
potentially contaminated properties.
The EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER)
Center for Program Analysis (OCPA) is seeking opportunities to facilitate
the reuse of contaminated properties and active and abandoned mine
sites for clean and renewable energy generation.
These lands are environmentally and economically beneficial for siting
clean and renewable energy facilities because they:
Generally have existing transmission capacity, infrastructure in place
and adequate zoning;
Take the stress off undeveloped lands for construction of
new energy facilities, preserving the land carbon sink;
Provide an economically viable reuse for sites with
significant cleanup costs or low real estate
development demand; and
Provide job opportunities in urban and rural communities.
Further, these projects advance cleaner and more cost
effective energy technologies, and reduce the environmental
impacts of energy systems (e.g., reduce greenhouse gas
emissions)
'' ° former Bethlehem Steel plant in Lackawanna, NY, is now home to the Steel Winds wind farm.
Potential Partners and Stakeholders
Clean and renewable energy suppliers, including
independent system operators
Utilities
Public utility commissions
Developers
Investors
Public and private land owners
Mining industry
EPA Regions/Headquarters
Other Federal agencies (e.g., Department of Agriculture,
Department of Energy, Department of the Interior,
Department of Defense, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission)
State entities (e.g., environmental, energy and economic
development departments)
Tribal governments and communities
Communities, local governments and chambers of
commerce
Environmental organizations
Other public and private partners
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EPA Initiatives Support Reuse of Contaminated Lands
for Clean and Renewable Energy
EPA's Siting Clean and Renewable Energy on Contaminated
Lands and Mining Sites Initiative takes a multi-pronged
approach to site cleanup and clean and renewable energy
production facilities on contaminated land, by conducting
activities including:
Working with the Department of Energy's National
Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) to identify Brownfields,
RCRA, Superfund and mining sites with wind, solar, and
biomass development potential;
Outlining state and federal incentives for developing clean
and renewable energy facilities and utilizing
contaminated lands;
Supporting pilot projects that assess potential wind and
solar generation potential at EPA contaminated lands and
mining sites;
Estimating the greenhouse gas benefits from siting clean
and renewable energy on contaminated lands and
mining sites;
Seeking input from stakeholders to determine the need
for additional site redevelopment and reuse tools such as
liability release provisions; and
Conducting outreach to highlight how EPA can support
clean and renewable energy development on contaminated
properties and mining sites.
EPA Tracked Sites with Utility Scale Wind Energy Generation Potential
Wind Resource
Power Resource
Class Wnr Potential
0-20° Poor
200-300 Marginal
300-400 HI Fair
400-500
500600
OSWER-Supported Clean and Renewable Energy
Development on Contaminated Land
Mine-Scarred Lands Initiative Demonstration Project: Beatty,
NV, Solar Facility
EPA helped the community develop relationships with partners
that are integral to energy development decisions
EPA helped develop an action plan that outlines steps needed to
develop a renewable energy power park
EPA's Brownfields Sustainability Pilot: Houston, TX,
Solar Landfill
EPA is analyzing the environmental and engineering issues of
building a solar plant at the 300 acre former landfill
OSWER Innovations Pilot: Brockton, MA, Brightfield
EPA is a project partner in developing an innovative marketing
concept to secure long-term contracts for the renewable energy
credits generated by this 1MW solar plant
Additional Clean and Renewable Energy Development
on Contaminated Land
Steel Winds Wind Farm, Lackawanna, NY
Eight wind turbines were installed on an old slag pile at the
Bethlehem Steel site
Produces enough electricity to power 7,000 homes
Fort Carson Landfill Solar Development, Fort Carson, CO
2MW array built on 12 acres of a former landfill
Uses thin film photovoltaic technology to generate 3,200
MWh/year
Pemaco Superfund Site, Maywood, CA
Solar-powered system is used for emergency backup
battery power
I Good
| Outstanding
I Superb
RCRA
Federal Supertund
Non-Federal Superfund
Sc <«n in q Cfftft ria
VWixJ puwei tlAsi ot 4 01 greater
measured at 50m above giourvd
Disiaivct to eleflnc nansfrtsswn laws ol 10 mitts or 1c
Piaperly size oi1 2,000 acm o< more
Cislance 10 graded toads ot 25 miles or (ess
For more information, contact:
cleanenergyt@epa.gov
Clean and Renewable Energy
and Contaminated Properties:
Penelope McDaniel, OCPA, (202) 566-1932
Mining Sites:
Shahid Mahmud, EPAAbandoned Mine Land Team,
(703) 603-8789
1. U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration. Annual Energy Outlook 2008. Table A8: Electricity Supply, Disposition, Prices, and Emissions, www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/appa.pdf
2. Estimated using data from: 1) U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration. Annual Energy Outlook 2008. Table A8: Electricity Supply, Disposition, Prices, and Emissions, www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/appa.
pdf; 2) National Energy Technology Laboratory. Tracking New Coal-Fired Power Plants, http://www.netl.doe.gov/coal/refshelf/ncp.pdf
3. U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration. Renewable and Alternative Fuel, Table 4:2007 U.S. Electric Net Summer Capacity. www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/aRernate/page/renew_energy_consump/table4.html
4. U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration. Annual Energy Outlook 2008. Table A8: Electricity Supply, Disposition, Prices, and Emissions. www.eia.Q
5, 6. U.S. EPA OSWER. Draft Cross-Program Revitalization Measures Report, June 12, 2008.
EP/X OSWER.
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