Success Stories - Siting Renewable Energy on Contaminated Land
The Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA
1.5 megawatt solar energy facility sited on a former brownfield to power 1,800 homes annually
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
QUICK FACTS:
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EPA is encouraging the development of renewable energy by identifying
current and former contaminated lands and mining sites that present
opportunities for renewable energy development. This site demonstrates
the benefits of siting renewable energy on contaminated lands.
Site Description
This seven-acre brownfield is located in the Girard Point industrial area of
The Philadelphia Navy Yard—a 1,000-acre former Navy base that
contained over 1,000 buildings, 52 miles of streets, and seven miles of
waterfront in the southernmost point of Philadelphia. A master
redevelopment plan for the Navy Yard was created in 2004—which
envisioned an environmentally sustainable community with a vibrant mix of
office, residential, institutional, cultural, research and development, retail
and recreational uses. The former Navy Yard is already home to more than
80 businesses that bring more than 7,500 employees to The Navy Yard
every day. The newest component of The Navy Yard's redevelopment is a
1.5 megawatt solar energy facility that will be constructed on this seven-
acre brownfield, making it the largest photovoltaic facility to be built within a
major U.S. city.
Property History
The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard officially opened in the city's Southward
District in 1801 and was used primarily for shipbuilding. Seven acres of the
shipyard were used as a disposal facility for municipal waste, industrial
waste, and incinerator ash—which left behind hazardous waste materials
including heavy metals (i.e., lead). In 1970, the yard built its last ship—and
by the 1990s, the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was home to rusting ships
and unknown amounts of contamination from past uses. In response to
recommendations of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Base Closure
and Realignment Commission (BRAG), the Navy officially decommissioned
the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in 1996. Most of the site's 1,000-acres
required some form of cleanup (e.g., soil remediation, removal of
underground storage tanks, asbestos from buildings), including the seven-
acre former landfill and incinerator—where cleanup actions included soil
remediation, groundwater monitoring, a soil and vegetative cap, and a river
bank stabilization project. Institutional Controls were incorporated in the
deed, restricting future land-use. In 2000, the Philadelphia Industrial
Development Corporation (PIDC) accepted ownership of the 1,000-acre
property from the U.S. Department of Defense (Navy). The PIDC is now
leasing the seven-acre site to Conergy Projects, Inc., which will turn the
former brownfield into a 1.5 megawatt solar energy facility.
Renewable Energy Development
Conergy, one of the world's leading project development and structured
finance companies in the renewable energy sector, will finance and develop the second Exelon Conergy Solar Energy Center on the seven-acre
brownfield at The Navy Yard—construction is expected to begin in fall 2009. The facility will feature approximately 8,500 solar modules and
produce up to 1.8 megawatt hours of electricity, enough energy to power 1,800 homes annually. The facility will also produce solar renewable
energy credits that will be purchased by the Exelon Generation Company as part of Conergy's existing solar power purchase agreement with the
utility. These credits will help Pennsylvania to meet its Alternative [Renewable] Energy Portfolio Standard, which requires that 8 percent of all
energy generated in the state come from renewable sources by 2020, including 0.5 percent from solar.
Current Status:
EPA Region 3, Philadelphia, PA
7 acres
Philadelphia Industrial Development
Corporation (PI DC)
Incinerator and landfill
U.S. Department of Defense (Navy) Base
Realignment and Closure (BRAC)
Heavy metals
Solar PV (utility scale)
1.5MW
$9-10 million
PA Department of Environmental
Protection, Philadelphia Department of
Commerce, City of Philadelphia
Redevelopment Authority, Conergy
Projects, Inc., Exelon Generation
Completion planned by summer of 2010
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:
1.5 MW solar energy facility constructed on 7-acre former
Privately financed through a manufacturer-utility
partnership, facility contributes to Pennsylvania's renewable
portfolio standard requirement that solar power make up
0.5% of the state's energy consumption by 2020.
The largest urban solar facility in the U.S., facility will
generate energy to power 1,800 homes, create
approximately 50 construction and 10 permanent jobs.
CENTER FOR PROGRAM ANALYSIS
CONTACT: The Navy Yard/Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation
Mark Seltzer, Project Manager: (215)-218-2847, mseltzer@pidc-pa.org
To learn more about siting renewable energy on contaminated land, visit: www.epa.gov/renewableenergyland
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