RENEWABLE ENERGY
ASSESSMENT
Prairie View Landfill - Will County, IL
FINAL
DECEMBER 2013
OVERVIEW
The Prairie View Landfill is an active non -hazardous waste landfill
located on a portion of the former joliet Army Ammunitions Plant site
(JOAAP) in Will County, Illinois. U.S. Army and EPA cleanup actions at the
36-square-mile JOAAP site have created multiple reuse benefits for the
region, including an inter-modal logistics facility, the Midewin National
Tallgrass Prairie and lands dedicated to Will County for economic
development and the operation of a municipal landfill.
Today,Will County owns the PrairieView Landfill site and contracts with
Waste Management to operate the landfill. Will County is considering
portions of the PrairieView Landfill site for renewable energy
technologies such as solar photovoltaic (PV) or wind.
EPA Region 5 sponsored a renewable energy assessment to support
Will County, EPA and local stakeholders in evaluating renewable
energy opportunities for the PrairieView Landfill site. This renewable
energy assessment summarizes reuse considerations, renewable energy
resource availability, site suitability and financial considerations for a set
of pilot innovation projects to advance hybrid gas-to-energy and solar
photovoltaic generation at the site.
REUSE CONSIDERATIONS
Landfill Phasing:The PrairieView Landfill site includes approximately
455 acres conveyed to Will County in 2Q02.The landfill will remain in
operation until 2027 with a planned 223-acre footprint. Phased landfill
construction is underway with active disposal on the western half of the
landfill.
Long-Term Stewardship and Reuse: After the landfill's closure, the
Forest Preserve District of Will County will become caretaker of
the landfill.The Forest Preserve District and county stakeholders are
evaluating a range of future use options for the landfill and non-landfill
areas, including renewable energy, recreation, open space and education.
Renewable Energy: Waste Management operates a 4.8 megawatt (MW)
gas-to-energy plant that generates electricity from landfill gasses at
the site. Plans are in place to expand generation capacity to 12.8 MW.
The gas-to-energy plant generates revenue forWill County through
lease payments and the sale of electricity based on revenue-sharing
agreements with Waste Management. Will County's Resource Recovery
and Energy Division is interested in additional near-term renewable
energy opportunities for areas located primarily outside of the landfill
footprint.
Renewable Energy Assessment Funded by EPA Region 5
Key
Site Features
Future Landfill Footprint
(223 acres)
Non-Landfill Areas Reserved
for Soil Stockpiles/Landfill Operations
(102 acres)
Non-Landfill Areas Currently Available
(30 acres)
I Prairie View Landfill Parcel
» Access Roads
Buildings
Gas-to-Energy Plant
Electrical connection to grid
(34 kV line)
I Wetlands
- Surface Water
Figure 2. Site Features
Veterans'
Cemetary,
Midewin National
Tallgrass Prairie
(U.S. Forest Service)
Midewin National
Tallgrass Prairie
(USFS) j
I Wilmingtop
Figure I. Site Context
Joliet Arsenal Development Authority (JADA) -
Prologis Park
Key
Fo/niar Jatofl Army Arrvriwih'XxiS Plant
fause Zofres
I	iwrtt*
¦¦ OmtvPont 'PWmodfli CwiWf
' WBBWm nooww tmvbss frame
iHOAJVoroQt» Pant
Soil Siockpjj*
Area H)
Exismg
SoU I
Stockpile \
\ Soil Stockpile
Future landfill FootprW
<223 ae4
Joliet Arsenal Development
Authority (JA DA) - Ptologis Park
Midewin National Ta&grass Prairie
f

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Resource Availability Screening
The most important requirements for a renewable energy project are infrastructure availability, transmission access, renewable
energy resource availability and site suitability.This section summarizes infrastructure access and solar and wind resource
availability at the Prairie View Landfill site.
INFRASTRUCTURE

	Will County


Figure 3. Illinois Wind Power Density at 80m
(National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), 2010)
Will County
Figure 4. Illinois Solar Radiation Map
(NREL, 2007)
The Prairie View Landfill offers potential access to local utility
Commonwealth Edison's transmission lines.
To accommodate the PrairieView Landfill gas-to-energy plant's
anticipated 12.8 MW generation capacity, Waste Management has
installed a 34-kilovolt (kV) electrical connection from the site to an
existing Commonwealth Edison substation. Will County and Waste
Management have initiated discussions regarding possibility of utilizing
this interconnection to support additional, small-scale renewable
energy facilities at the PrairieView Landfill site.
WIND
The Will County area's wind resource, as measured by wind
speed at an elevation of 80 meters, is approximately 6.5 meters
per second (mls).This wind speed falls within the Class 2 to 3
category, which suggests a poor to fair wind resource relative to
other areas of the state. Classes 3 to 7 are considered suitable for
utility-scale wind power development.
Key factors to consider in siting wind turbines include: site suitability
to accommodate excavation for wind tower footings, setback
requirements from adjacent uses, visual impacts and aesthetic
preferences for stakeholders, and potential impacts on avian species.
Will County, the Forest Preserve District and U.S. Forest Service
(USFS) representatives at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie have
clarified that wind energy development is not a desirable technology
option due to the site's location within a migratory bird pathway and
the limited wind resource.
SOLAR
Northern Illinois and Will County have relatively good solar
energy resources as measured by irradiance level (4.5 - 5 kilowatt
hours per square-meter per day [kWhlmll day]). Irradiance levels
of 6 kWh/ml/day and higher are considered excellent.
Will County,Waste Management and the Forest Preserve District have
prioritized solar PV as the most desirable renewable energy technology
for the PrairieView Landfill site.
The suitability analysis and financial assessment findings discussed on
the following pages outline potential opportunities for Will County to
host solar PV projects at the site.
PrairieView Landfill Renewable Energy Assessment

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Site Suitability
REUSE ZONES
The reuse zones arid suitability considerations provide a tool to assist Will County, Waste Management and stakeholders in
evaluating potential locations for solar PV across the Prairie View Landfill site. The reuse suitability zones in Figure 5 and Table
I identify suitable areas for solar PV, along with site suitability considerations, potential system size and technology options.
Future
Soil Stockpile
Area
Existing
Soil
Stockpile
Future
Retention
Basin
Future
Soi! Stockpile
Area
Future
Retention
Basin
Gas-to-Energy Plant
S PRAIRIEVIEW DR
Key
Solar Suitability Zones
Non-Landfill Areas Potentially
Suitable for Solar PV (16 acres)
Landfill Areas Potentially Suitable
for solar PV 2017 or later (10 acres)
Areas Reserved for Soil Stockpiles/
Landfill Operations (102 acres)
Non-Landfill Areas Suitable for Solar PV include areas
with grades less than or equal to 10 percent, located
outside of wetlands or riparian areas; Landfill Areas
Suitable for Solar PV include currently closed landfill
cells and cells planned for completion in 2017 with
grades less than or equal 10 percent.
Other Features
Future Landfill Footprint
Buildings
Gas-to-Energy Plant
Electrical connection to grid
(34 kV line)
Wetlands
Surface Water
Access Roads
Prairie View Landfill Parcel
iFeet
500 1,000	2,000
Joliet Arsenal Development
Authority (JADA) - Prologis Park
Maintenance
Building
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
I
Figure 5. Reuse Suitability Zones
Table I. Reuse Zones and Site Suitability Considerations
Reuse Zone
Non Landfill Areas Potentially Suitable for Solar PV
(16 acres)
Site Suitability Considerations *
•	Grades less than or equal to 10 percent.
•	Located outside wetlands, riparian areas and landfill operations.
•	Potential to support 2 MW solar PV system.
Landfill Areas Potentially Suitable for Pilot Solar PV
(10 acres)
•	South-facing slopes with grades less than or equal to 10 percent.
•	Landfill cells planned for completion in 2017 with final cap in
place, landfill gas collection wells and subsurface collection lines.
•	Potential for small-scale solar PV system with flexibility to
accommodate ongoing landfill operations and access to landfill
gas collection system components.
Areas Reserved for Soil Stockpiles / Landfill
Operations (102 acres)
•	Current and future soil stockpile areas, landfill maintenance
building and existing vacant buildings.
•	Potential for small-scale solar PV at maintenance building.
Note: The Prairie View Landfill site was identified as a"No Further Action" area in the 1998 Record of Decision for the Load-Assemble Package
Area of the JOAAP site. Preliminary discussions with EPA confirmed that renewable energy generation facilities are likely compatible with the site's
institutional controls for non-landfill areas; further coordination among Will County and U.S.Army Corps of Engineers may be needed to ensure
consistency with property conveyance conditions at the Prairie View Landfill site.
November 2013

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AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT
Based on resource availability, site suitability arid stakeholder
reuse goals, the renewable energy assessment identified
opportunities for solar PV generation at the site at two
different scales. This assessment included a preliminary
comparative financial analysis of estimated capital and
periodic costs and financial payback for small- and large-
scale solar PV systems. A brief summary of the financial
assessment findings is included below.
Small-Scale Solar PV
Small-scale solar PV systems could potentially be located at
Waste Management's maintenance building (roof-top solar
array) or in areas surrounding the iandfill office building.The
financial assessment evaluated a hypothetical 40 kilowatt
(kW) solar PV system owned and financed by Will County.
•	A 40 kW system could help off-set Will County's
electricity use with energy sold to Commonwealth
Edison through a net-metering agreement.
•	Commonwelath Edison's policies would allow for a 40
kW system to net meter at the retail rate. However, the
current low price of electricity and high solar technology
prices hinder the near term financial viability of a small
solar system at the site. If electricity prices increase and
the cost of solar technology decrease, a project could be
financially viable.
•	A solar project could be scaled based on available
financial resources to develop an educational
demonstration project or research project to test a
hybrid gas-to-energy/solar PV system.
Large-Scale Solar PV
12 acres located outside of the landfill foot print (Figure 3,
Zone N-2) could potentially accommodate a 2 MW solar
PV system.The assessment evaluated the financial impact
of a hypothetical 2 MW solar project under three different
project ownership scenarios: I) Direct Ownership,2) Land
Lease and 3) Third-Party Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
•	A land lease scenario would provide the least financial
risk to Will County and could offer the most viable way
to host a solar PV project at the site.The County could
potentially negotiate a lease agreement with a third-
party solar developer and capture revenue from annual
rent payments. The value of the land lease will vary by
developer, site and market considerations. Rental fees
will be an important point of negotiation with a potential
project developer.
•	Currently, the low cost of electricity in Illinois, combined
with low demand for utilities to purchase electricity from
renewable energy projects until 2018 negatively impact
the viability of either a Direct Ownership or Third-party
PPA approach at the site. In the future, further evaluation
of a Third-Party PPA approach may be warranted.
A change in illinois state incentives, speficiaily the
Renewable Portfolio Standard, could create a stronger
market for renewable energy projects in the future.
The following organizations and entities contributed to the
findings of the reuse assessment:
Will County Land Use Division
Will County Resource Recovery and Energy Division
Waste Management
Forest Preserve District of Will County
Joliet Arsenal Development Authority
U.S. Forest Service - Midewin National Tallgrass
Prairie
EPA Region 5
Waste Mangement's on-site maintenance building is a
potential location for a roof-top mounted solar PV system.
Available land located in Reuse Zone N-2 could support a
2 MW solar PV project.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For additional information regarding the Prairie View Landfill Site
Renewable Energy Assessment, contact:
Tom Bloom, Reuse Coordinator, EPA Region 5
312-886-1967 / bloom.thomas@epa.gov
Rosita Clarke, Brownfields Coordinator, EPA Region 5
312-886-7251 / clarke.rosita@epa.gov
Renewable Energy Assessment Developed by Skeo Solutions
Funded by EPA Region 5

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