What if we took polluted brownfield sites and put solar and wind energy on them?
A brownfield is a property contaminated with a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.” Developing renewable energy in brownfields can meet a sizeable portion of the energy needs in the U.S. The cost is often a barrier. The Nature Conservancy’s new report, Mining the Sun, provides guidance and policy recommendations to turn the most polluted sites in the U.S. into renewable energy fields.
Every economic sector uses electricity, which accounts for a quarter of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The Biden Administration set goals to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035. The U.S. may need a Texas-sized area to generate enough renewable energy to meet the goals. According to TNC’s estimates, there are enough brownfields to achieve the Department of Energy’s goal of 715 gigawatts of solar development by 2050. That amount of solar energy could power more than 120 million homes.
“These sites are often already cleared and graded, and frequently have electric lines and other infrastructure that make the area suitable to build,” says Nels Johnson, TNC senior practice advisor of renewable energy deployment and lead author of the Mining the Sun report. “Siting renewables on former industrial sites holds great promise for the energy transition.”
Wind In New York, Solar In Kentucky
TNC and electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian are jointly developing the Starfire Renewable Energy Center on a coal mine in Eastern Kentucky. The project, which will have an 800 MW capacity, will produce enough energy to power over 500,000 houses in three Eastern Kentucky counties. It will be the largest renewable energy project in Kentucky and the largest in the U.S. on former mine lands.
Wind can also work at a brownfield, particularly along the Great Lakes. The Steel Winds Project in Lackawanna, New York, is on the shore of Lake Erie. It is located on part of the former Bethlehem Steel facility. In the early 20th century, Lackawanna was the area’s steel production center. Lackawanna was a hub of steel production in the early 1900s. In the 1940s, the Lackawanna Steel Mill was the world’s largest steel factory. It closed in the mid-1980s. In 2006, construction of the Steel Winds began. Eight turbines now sit on the site, generating 20 megawatts of energy, or enough to power 6,000 homes.
Cost and Government Incentives
Installing solar panels on brownfields and abandoned mines offers numerous advantages. They offer plenty of space, have transmission access, and are often zoned for energy development. They also have roads, graded land, and water infrastructure. The EPA estimates that brownfield redevelopment can increase nearby home property values by five to 15 percent within a mile of the site.
Yet, there are only 500 solar and wind projects on brownfield sites. Most of the projects are small. Cost is one of the biggest hurdles. Energy projects on brownfield sites may cost 10 to 15 percent more, as the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) estimated. However, the Energy Community Tax Credit Bonus applies a bonus of up to 10 percent for projects, facilities, and technologies in energy communities, including on brownfields. More federal tax credits may also be available if the site is in a low-income community or tribal reservation.
Image by First Energy on Flickr
