RE-Powering America's Land:
Evaluating the Feasibility of Siting Renewable Energy Production
on Potentially Contaminated Land
          Newport, Rhode Island
EPA/NREL Partnership
In September 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the
RE-Powering America's Land: Siting Renewable Energy on Potentially Contaminated
Land and Mine Sites initiative. EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy's National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are collaborating on a project to evaluate the
feasibility of siting renewable energy production on potentially contaminated  sites.
EPA has provided more than $650,000 through an interagency agreement that pairs
EPA's expertise on contaminated sites with NREL's expertise in renewable energy.
The project will analyze the feasibility of siting renewable energy on 12 sites across
the country. The analysis will include, among other things, the best renewable
energy technology for the site, the optimal area to locate the renewable energy
technology on the site, potential renewable energy generating capacity, the return
on investment, and the economic feasibility of the renewable energy projects.  NREL
will also pursue an analysis to explore the potential for siting alternative fuel stations
(e.g., electric charging stations) at former gas station sites.

Rhode Island Naval Station Site
Naval Station Newport was established during the Civil War era and encompasses
approximately 1,063 acres on the west shore of Aquidneck Island in the Towns  of
Portsmouth and Middletown, and the City of Newport, Rhode Island. The base also
includes the northern third of Gould Island in the Town of Jamestown.
The base includes multiple areas of contamination that pose a threat to human health and the environment, and the base became
a Superfund site on the National Priorities List in 1989. Cleanup of Naval Station Newport occurs under the Department of Defense
Installation Restoration Program and pursuant to the Federal Facilities Agreement for this site. The Navy is the lead agency for
site investigation and cleanup, with formal oversight provided by EPA's Region  1 office and the Rhode Island Department of
Environmental Management.

Feasibility Study: Fall 2009 - Summer 2011
Naval Station Newport is committed to working towards reducing its dependency on fossil fuels, decreasing its carbon footprint,
and implementing renewable energy projects. EPA Region 1 and Naval Station Newport have engaged NREL in completing a
'Renewable Energy Master Plan'for the Naval Station. This plan will provide Naval Station Newport with a prioritization plan for
implementation of a variety of renewable energy systems across the site, optimized based  on renewable energy technology, site
location, site use, cost, and carbon footprint reduction. In addition, NREL will complete a feasibility analysis of several of the most
viable renewable energy system options. This analysis will provide an evaluation of cost, including capital and operating, and
viability of connecting to the existing energy infrastructure, along with information on funding options for the Navy to consider in
moving these renewable energy projects forward.
      Naval Station Newport
        Newport, Rhode Island
Site Facts:
  Site type: Superfund
  Renewable technology: Wind, solar and other
  technologies
  Generation potential: Community scale
  (for the naval base)

Contacts:
  EPA Region 1
  Ginny Lombardo
  lombardo.ginny@epa.gov
  (617)918-1754
  National Renewable Energy Lab
  Gail Mosey
  gail.mosey@nrel.gov
  (303) 384-7356
  www.nrel.gov
     For more information, visit www.epa.gov/renewableenergyland or contact cleanenergy@epa.gov
&ER
                        U.S. EPA OSWER

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