RE-Powering America's Land: wind Technologies
Siting Renewable Energy on Potentially Contaminated Land and Mine Sites
What is the RE-Powering America's Land initiative?
Demand for renewable energy is increasing in the United States. However,
renewable energy facilities often require large amounts of land and could
contribute to energy sprawl if developed on greenfield sites. Through
its RE-Powering America's Land: Siting Renewable Energy on Potentially
Contaminated Land and Mine Sites initiative, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) identified more than 11,000 EPA tracked sites
and nearly 15 million acres that have potential for developing solar,
wind, biomass and geothermal facilities. Using potentially contaminated
land and mine sites to develop renewable energy facilities can preserve
greenfields; provide developers with access to existing infrastructure;
create jobs; and enable potentially contaminated property to return to a
productive and sustainable use.
What is wind energy?
Wind energy is captured by wind turbines
with propeller-like blades mounted on a
tower. The force of the wind causes the
rotor to spin and the turning shaft spins
a turbine to generate electricity. Wind
technology is scalable; based on site
conditions, different turbine designs can
be used to meet different electricity needs.
The following types of wind production were evaluated by EPA:
• Utility scale - Uses large turbines at the megawatt (MW) or multi-
MW scale on sites with the greatest resource and acreage availability.
Electricity generated is typically exported to the grid.
• Community - Represents sites with
less acreage than utility scale wind
sites, potentially using smaller or
fewer turbines. Electricity generated is
distributed to the local area through
the distribution system, often serving
adjacent properties.
• Non-grid connected - Uses smaller and
fewer turbines on a much smaller scale,
typically to power the energy needs of a single property.
What are some examples of wind facilities being successfully
sited on contaminated land?
The Steel Winds project in Lackawanna, NY
A wind turbine generates electricity
for a home in CA
How much wind potential exists
on contaminated sites?
Utility scale -37sites
Wind class, measured at 50 meters above ground > 4
Distance to transmission lines < 10 miles
Acreage > 2,000 acres
Distance to graded roads < 25 miles
Community -169 sites
Wind class, measured at 50 meters above ground > 3
Distance to transmission lines N/A
Acreage 100-1,999 acres
Distance to graded roads < 25 miles
Non-grid connected -1,304 sites
Wind class, measured at 50 meters above ground > 3
EPA tracked sites with utility andcommunity scale wind potential
Estimating total technical potential
Wind technical potential for EPA tracked sites:
more than 17,000 MW
Market potential -The portion of the
economic potential that could be achieved
given current costs, policies and
technical constraints.
Economic potential - The portion of the
technical potential that is economically
viable, but requires additional policies to
break down market barriers.
Technical potential - Potential that is
technically possible, without consideration
of cost or practical feasibility.
For more information on wind technologies, visit:
www.nrel.gov/learni ng/re_wind.html
The RE-Powering America's Land Web site highlights wind facilities
developed on contaminated land. One example is Steel Winds, the former Bethlehem Steel Mill in Lackawanna, New York. This 30-
acre Superfund and brownfield site was contaminated with steel slag and industrial waste. Eight wind turbines were developed on
the site. The project will generate over 50 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough electricity to power 9,000 homes.
Steel Winds has received statewide recognition and serves as a model project for other 'Rust Belt' communities. Future plans for
the property include the construction of 10 additional turbines, bringing the site's total capacity to 45 MW. Wind power also is
used to power remediation projects at contaminated sites. The Apache Power Superfund site in Rio Cochise County, Arizona, uses
wind energy to power ground water remediation; this helps reduce remediation costs.
For more information, visit www.epa.gov/renewableenergyland or contact cleanenergy@epa.gov
U.S. EPA OSWER
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