LIMBO LAND FOR NEW ENERGY

EPA says some contaminated sites good for wind farms
June 8, 2010 (Windpower Engineering)

"...[T]he Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have...[joined] forces in their evaluation of sites that could be used for renewable-energy production. These can be Superfund and brown field sites, as well as former landfills and mines. Although there are many such sites, 12 in particular will get a close look…in California, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

"The project will analyze the potential development of wind, solar, or small hydroelectric power facilities…[and] determine the best renewable energy equipment for the site, its best placement, the potential energy-generating capacity, and the economic feasibility of the renewable energy projects, including return on investment. Some sites… have completed cleanup…[O]thers are in various stages of assessment or cleanup."

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"Superfund sites are the most complex. They are often abandoned and uncontrolled hazardous-waste sites that pose a risk to human health and hence are identified for cleanup. Brown fields are properties [such as abandoned factories] for which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence of contaminants…The EPA is investing more than $650,000 into this project which pairs the Agency’s expertise on contaminated sites with the NREL’s renewable energy expertise.

"U.S. electricity production is expected to increase by nearly 30% by 2030 to meet growing demand…[T]he equivalent of more than 320 mid-sized, coal-fired power plants will be needed…"

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"Many of the sites recommended by the EPA have been overlooked by wind-plant developers. Yet…they offer thousands of acres…often [with] critical infrastructure in place such as electric transmission lines and roads, and they are zoned for such development…[They] provide job opportunities and they take stress off undeveloped lands…The project is part of a federal…RE-Powering America’s Land initiative…to decrease the amount of green space used for development and provide health and economic benefits to local communities, including job creation.

"The EPA estimates there are about 490,000 sites and almost 15 million acres of potentially contaminated properties across the U.S…"