RE-Powering News [ A Quarterly News Digest
March 2014 | Issue 9
RE-Powering
News
A foiuorterly News Digest from EPA's I^E Powering America's land Initiative
Our Mission
EPA launched RE-Powering America's Land:
Siting Renewable Energy on Potentially
Contaminated Lands, Landfills and Mine Sites to
encourage the siting of renewable energy on
thousands of currently and formerly contaminated
properties across the nation.
In 2010, the RE-Powering America's Land Initiative published its first Management Plan to
help develop and articulate its goals and activities. The plan provided a useful framework to
engage stakeholders on where the Agency might help foster renewable energy on
contaminated lands and included a document to track progress.
The Initiative is updating its goals and activities and is seeking public comment on a draft
version of its Action Plan 2.0, which will be available on the RE-Powering website in April.
Comments are encouraged on the draft Action Plan and can be submitted to
cleanenergv@epa.gov within thirty days of posting. Again, the purpose of this plan is to
articulate the goals and objectives of the Initiative and to highlight expected activities for the
next two years.
As members of the RE-Powering community, we especially value your perspective on
whether the goals, objectives and activities described in RE-Powering's plan are optimal to
facilitate more renewable development on contaminated lands, landfills and mine sites.
Ultimately, the plan and the projects assisted by it will achieve and complement the mission
of the EPA's brownfields and cleanup programs and forward the protection of human health
and the environment.
EPA's RE-Powering America's Land Initiative seeks public comment
regarding its Action Plan 2.0. See below for more detail.

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Focus on Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT)
States and local governments often provide certain tax exemptions to make renewable
energy installations more attractive to developers. Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, is one
way a local government may be compensated for some or all of this tax revenue. These
arrangements offer a predictable payment, while avoiding complications of tax rates and
abatements. Communities benefit from known and regular payments on the installation, and
the compensation for tax revenue can help ease concern. PILOT agreements are often used in
conjunction with other financial arrangements, such as reduced land lease prices.
PILOT programs are also providing benefits to cities with operating renewable energy
installations on contaminated sites. For example, the Forbes Street Landfill in East
Providence, Rhode Island, is now home to a 3.7 MW solar farm. By developing the site for
solar production, the city found an economic way to close the landfill. As part of the winning
bid, site developer CME Energy and partner Hecate Energy took responsibility for capping the
landfill, saving the city the cost of doing so. In addition, CME Energy leases the land from the
city for $40,000 annually, and pays another $30,600 annually under a PILOT arrangement.
Property tax concerns are also being addressed with PILOT at the Oliver Street Landfill in
Easthampton, Massachusetts (MA). Property taxes for the site's 2.3 MW solar installation
would have ended after a federally-mandated five-year depreciation period. To counter this
revenue loss, the city executed a PILOT agreement with developer Borrego Solar to guarantee
the city revenue of $365,000 over 20 years. The city also leases the land to Borrego for
$l/year in exchange for an electricity price of $0.06 per kilowatt over the next 10 years.
Feasibility Studies
EPA and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are evaluating the feasibility of
siting renewable energy production on potentially contaminated lands. This effort pairs EPA's
expertise on contaminated sites with NREL's expertise in renewable energy.
The following feasibility studies were published recently on NREL's website. Links are also
available on the RE-Powering America's Land website. This list includes feasibility studies that
were funded by EPA headquarters and EPA Region 5.
¦	Solar - Ulster, New York: TechCity
¦	Wind - Onamia, Minnesota: Mille Lacs Band Tribal Community Dump Site
Binkley Solar Farm, Hermitage, TN. Photo courtesy
MSCOT Services, LLC.
A 200-kW solar photovoltaic installation at
Binkley Solar Farm in Hermitage, Tennessee, is
the state's first PV installation on landfill
property. A portion of the Class IV construction
and demolition (C&D| landfill reached capacity
in 1999 and was capped. The Binkley family,
which owns the site, wanted to continue a
tradition of sustainability by installing renewable
energy on the landfill cap, The family funded
the installation, which cost approximately $1
million and was eligible for a 1603 tax credit
funded by the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009. The project also
uses recycled grass and dirt garnered from
Vanderbilt University's football field when the
school switched to artificial turf. The landfill still
accepts residential and commercial C&D waste
as well as landscape waste, and the site now
hosts a scrap metal recycling business.
Electricity from the 832 solar panels offsets the
recycling operation through a net metering
agreement with Nashville Electric Service. A
video of the installation shot by 12-year-old
Albert Binkley is available on VouTube and
DECK Monitoring tracks the farm's power
production in real-time. The solar project went
live in March 2012.

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Liabilities into Assets—DuPont Solar Farm
On December 6, 2013, a ribbon-cutting ceremony
commemorated the startup of a 548 kilowatt, five-acre solar
installation on a former Superfund site in Newport, Delaware. The
solar farm will generate approximately 729,000 kilowatt hours of
power per year, enough electricity to power about 60 homes.
Contaminants at the site, formerly a landfill for a DuPont pigment
manufacturing plant, included heavy metals and chlorinated
solvents. This portion of the overall 120-acre site has been
successfully remediated. With support from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Delaware Division of Natural Resources &
Environmental Control, DuPont collaborated with Tangent Energy Solutions to develop the
solar project. In support of the redevelopment, EPA provided a comfort letter to Greenwood
Energy, co-owners of the solar project through a joint venture with John Hancock Financial
Services and Soltage, LLC. EPA generally issues comfort letters to facilitate the cleanup and
reuse of contaminated properties on a site specific basis and is particularly interested in
encouraging appropriate renewable energy development on environmentally impaired lands.
The letter explains the history of the site and the measures in place to protect human health
and the environment, describes Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser Liability Protection under
CERCLA, and provides information EPA has evaluated regarding the site to date. Joseph
Sacks, Vice President for Corporate Development at Greenwood Energy, said, "We are very
proud to be involved with this powerful story—repurposing remediated land to host
renewable power generation for the local Newport community. EPA Region 3's support letter
and general advocacy for the project were instrumental in providing comfort to all financing
parties involved."
The thin-film photovoltaic solar panels themselves were manufactured by DuPont subsidiary
DuPont Apollo. Through Greenwood's agreement with the Sustainable Energy Utility,
renewable energy credits from the project will be sold to utility Delmarva Power. The project
is DuPont's fourth solar installation in Delaware and its first on a landfill.
"[Said] Shawn Garvin, regional administrator - EPA Mid-Atlantic Region 3. 'When we work
together to turn an environmental problem into an opportunity, we create the best of what is
possible - here solar energy will serve the families of Newport and inspire others to re-power
America with alternative energy solutions.'" (From Domestic Fuel, "DuPont Starts Solar
Project on Landfill Site")
"Today, the Newport Solar Project is a
shining example of reusing a Superfund site
that has been cleaned up for renewable
energy development. The project will reduce
DuPont's environmental footprint and by
default the Newport Community's
greenhouse gas emissions by 350 tons a
year, while providing economic benefits
locally. This project has paid off handsomely
in that the initial installation of the solar
panels created nearly 120 jobs and will
produce enough renewable energy to power
60 homes in the Newport Community,"
—Shawn M. Garvin
EPA Region 3 Administrator

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In the News
The Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative (RECC) was recently named one of the 2013 Wind
Cooperatives by the Department of Energy. RECC teamed up with the Illinois Department of
Natural Resources to transform a "brownfield" site into a source of clean, renewable energy.
By installing a utility-scale turbine at Gobnob on the elevated section of an abandoned mine,
RECC is able to capture a large amount of wind energy that is unavailable at a lower
elevation.
Recent Webinars
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Training Broadcast on Wind Energy Guidelines (January 29, 2014).
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hosted a training to discuss the voluntary Land-Based Wind
Energy Guidelines and other relevant wind energy topics. The webinar focused on how the
guidelines apply to distributed wind energy projects, how to coordinate with state agencies,
and the identification of "species of habitat fragmentation concern," as defined in the
guidelines.
Upcoming Events
Solar Development on Landfills and Brownfields. April 15, 2014, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Electric Utility Consultants, Inc. is hosting a conference focused on the important components
of developing solar energy on landfills and brownfields. The conference will convene utility
personnel, developers, engineers, municipal officials, regulatory officials, attorneys, and
insurance brokers with expertise in this topic.
AWEA WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition. May 5, 2014, Las Vegas, Nevada. WINDPOWER
is the annual conference and exhibition for the U.S. wind industry, hosted by the American
Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Wind energy professionals attend this conference to
generate actionable ideas for expanding the wind energy economy through technology and
collaboration.
PV America. June 23, 2014, Boston, Massachusetts. Designed specifically for PV- focused solar
professionals, the 2014 event will focus on PV-related issues challenging the Northeast;
regional and national coverage of market trends, policy, and technology; and a
comprehensive look at issues, information, and innovations on the forefront of the solar PV
industry.

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New Resources
Utility Community Solar Handbook - Understanding and Supporting Utility Program
Development. Version 1: December 2013. Released by the Solar Electric Power Association
(SEPA), this handbook provides a utility perspective on leading community solar program
development and is a resource for government officials, regulators, community organizers,
solar energy advocates, non-profits and interested citizens who want to support their local
utility in implementing a solar project.
Grid Energy Storage Report. December 2013. This U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report
identifies the benefits of grid energy storage, the challenges that must be addressed to
enable broader use, and the efforts of the DOE—in conjunction with industry and other
government organizations—to meet those challenges.
U.S. Wind Industry Fourth Quarter 2013 Market Report. January 2014. AWEA released its U.S.
Wind Industry Fourth Quarter 2013 Market Report, outlining 2013 industry growth and
accomplishments. The report highlights that, at the end of 2013, 12,000 MW of new
generating capacity were under construction, with a record-breaking 10,900 MW starting
construction during the fourth quarter.
Active Power Controls from Wind Power: Bridging the Gaps. January 2014. DOE's NREL
released a comprehensive study to provide understanding about how wind power technology
can assist the power grid by controlling the active power output being placed onto the
system. The rest of the power system's resources have traditionally been adjusted around
wind to support a reliable and efficient system. The study challenges that concept, finding
that wind power can support the power system by adjusting its power output to enhance
system reliability.
Relationship between Wind Turbines and Residential Property Values in Massachusetts.
January 2014. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center commissioned this report, which
investigates the impacts of wind facilities on nearby home values in the state. Researchers at
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Connecticut analyzed more than
122,000 home sales near 26 wind facilities in densely populated Massachusetts, finding no
statistical evidence of an impact to property values.

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On-Site Renewable Energy Generation: A Guide to Developing and Implementing Greenhouse

Gas Reduction Programs. 2014. U.S. EPA's State and Local Climate and Energy Program
released this guide which describes a variety of approaches local governments can use to
advance climate and energy goals by meeting some or all electricity needs through on-site
renewable energy generation. The guide discusses how local governments can work with
utilities, local businesses, nonprofit groups, residents, state agencies, green power marketers
and brokers to plan and implement on-site renewable energy generation projects at local
government facilities and throughout the community.
Contact Us
For more information, contact Marc Thomas via email at thomas.marc@epa.gov or visit
http://epa.gov/renewableenergyland/
Disclaimer: All information in this newsletter is publically available. References to third-party publications,
websites, commercial products, process, or services by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, are
for informational purposes only. No endorsement or recommendation should be inferred and is not implied. EPA
and the United States Government do not endorse any non-federal product, service or enterprise.
A Pn« United States
Environmental Protection
m m Agency

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