RE-Powering: How to Develop Sites
On this page:
- How do I Learn About RE-Powering Site Development?
- What if Cleanup Activities are Ongoing?
- How can I Get Protection from Cleanup Liability if I Buy or Lease a Property?
- Does the Site have Sufficient Resource?
- How can I Finance a Project?
- Are Incentives and Policies Available?
- Inflation Reduction Act Information
- How do I Develop Solar on Landfills? Read this Best Practice.
- Does the Site need Interconnection to the Electricity Grid?
How do I Learn about RE-Powering Site Development?
Are you interested in learning more about how to successfully develop renewable energy projects on contaminated lands?
EPA developed a series of trainings to help you learn how to support successful renewable projects on contaminated lands, landfills, and mine sites. The trainings are publicly available and free. Access free training here.
What if Cleanup Activities are Ongoing?
Accidents, spills, leaks, past improper disposal and handling of hazardous materials and wastes have resulted in tens of thousands of contaminated lands in the United States. EPA and its partners work to address contamination at many of these sites and encourage the restoration of such land for community reuse.
Many potentially contaminated or underused properties will undergo an environmental assessment and inevitably require little or no cleanup. Others will require minimal to substantial cleanup before the sites can be returned to productive reuse.
Nonetheless, renewable energy development processes can often occur prior to and even during cleanup activities (i.e., while addressing environmental issues). Learn more about:
- Typical Land Cleanup Processes
- Renewable Energy Project Development Processes
- Opportunities for Siting Renewable Energy Production While Addressing Environmental Site Issues
The Handbook on Siting Renewable Energy Projects While Addressing Environmental Issues introduces typical cleanup and reuse processes and the renewable energy project development process, including the unique siting opportunities and potential benefits associated with this reuse.
Renewable Energy Reuse and Protectiveness
Collaboration and Cost-Effective Strategies
EPA works collaboratively with states, tribes, local government, and other stakeholders to achieve its mission of assessing, cleaning up and restoring contaminated sites to set the stage for redevelopment or facilitate the continued use of the facility. For the Superfund Program, EPA directly oversees the cleanup activities. Other EPA programs were designed by Congress to be delegated or authorized to states (e.g., RCRA Corrective Action, Underground Storage Tanks) or established as a grant program (Brownfields). The majority of site-specific cleanup decisions are made by the state-run or state-delegated programs, including decisions about protectiveness.
Developers of renewable energy on formerly contaminated lands, as well as landfills and mining sites, have adopted strategies to cost effectively install such technology and maintain the integrity and protectiveness of the remedy. The site owner, the developer and the overseeing agency, through collaboration, can develop approaches to accommodate a renewable energy reuse option.
Strategies include:
- Ballasted racking systems so that solar panels can rest on top of the surface without driving supporting anchors into the ground either puncturing the cap of a landfill or otherwise creating unwanted preferential pathways for stormwater to enter the subsurface;
- Selecting certain sub-sections of the site for reuse where contamination was limited or non-existent;
- Designing renewable energy structures that effectively use, enhance or complement aspects particular to the material contained on site (e.g., mill tailings) without exacerbating existing contamination;
- Adjusting the locations of groundwater monitoring stations to places that maximize flat, open areas for solar panels, but still providing the necessary and spatially relevant information to monitor the site; or
- Minimizing soil disturbance in design, installation and operation of the renewable energy system;
In these and other ways, it is possible for renewable energy to be developed consistent with the chosen remedy and not affect the protectiveness of the site.
More Information about Appropriate Uses for Property
To determine what uses would be appropriate for a particular property, and finding information on potentially useful site-specific institutional controls, please contact the appropriate regulatory Agency for this site-specific information. The contact information for Superfund and Brownfields sites are listed on the programs websites.
Parties interested in learning more about how specific Federal programs address protectiveness are encouraged to see the following sources of information.
- The Cleanups in My Community portal has a great deal of information and links to either list or map sites of interest, which in turn link to Project Profile pages that provide site-specific cleanup documents and would list the applicable regulatory authority.
- Each of the Federal and Federally delegated programs also has information about sites within their purview:
- Superfund
- A Community Guide to EPA’s Superfund Program (PDF)
- Information on a Site’s Cleanup Status and Reuse Potential (See Question 2 of “Top 10 Questions to Ask When Buying a Superfund Site”)
- Search for Superfund Sites Where You Live
- Superfund
- RCRA
- Brownfields
How Can I Get Protection from Cleanup Liability if I Buy or Lease a Property?
If you are considering redeveloping a property with potential contamination it is important to understand your responsibility for potential cleanup liability and related costs. Contaminated properties are cleaned up under a wide variety of federal, state, tribal, and local government cleanup programs and legal authorities. To promote the numerous environmental, public health, and economic benefits associated with cleaning up and reusing previously developed property, EPA and states developed brownfields and land revitalization programs. Many state and federal laws and policies were changed to address, and in certain situations provide protection against, the liability risk associated with the reuse of contaminated properties, particularly for parties who wish to reuse property that they did not contaminate. For example, the 2018 Build Act provides more certainty on cleanup responsibility for local or state governments that take control of a contaminated site.
These protections may be applicable to address the potential liability concerns of a developer of renewable energy on contaminated property. EPA has also developed a variety of mechanisms, including policy and guidance and property-specific documents to address potential liability concerns and uncertainty. Enforcement policy and guidance documents and publications specific to renewable energy development on contaminated properties include:
- Liability Reference Guide for Siting Renewable Energy on Contaminated Properties
- The Revitalization Handbook—Revitalizing Contaminated Lands: Addressing Liability Concerns
- Guidance for Superfund Cleanup Subject Listing Prospective Purchaser Agreements
- Comfort/Status Letters Guidance
- 2018 Build Act Provisions and Brownfields Laws and Regulations
Generally, only contaminated properties with significant actual or potential public health and/or environmental impacts or those needing immediate attention are likely to warrant federal cleanup. The majority of cleanups are performed under state authority and do not require EPA involvement.
Whether a federal or state law or policy applies to a purchaser or lessee will depend on the facts and circumstances of each case, including, among other things, the developer’s conduct with respect to any contamination on the property.
For more information regarding EPA’s cleanup policy and guidance, models, and publications, see the Agency’s website Waste, Chemical and Cleanup Enforcement Policy, Guidance, and Publications.
Does the Site have Sufficient Resource?
An initial consideration is whether a site has sufficient resource availability to make a renewable energy project technologically and economically viable. To help make this determination, the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has developed maps for various renewable resources and specific projects.
Additional information and resources for estimating a site’s resource availability can be found below:
Solar
NREL’s Renewable Energy Resource maps provide information at a regional level, while the PVWatts Viewer provides resource based on site address, zip code, or latitude and longitude. The EPA’s RE-Powering Mapper provides information on a site specific basis for a number of federal and state-tracked sites that preliminarily screen well for solar. Also, see SunShot's PV Mapper Tool.
Wind
NREL’s Wind Energy Resource maps illustrate multiyear average wind speeds for the contiguous U.S. states at various heights derived from NREL's WIND Toolkit. The EPA’s RE-Powering Mapper provides information on a site-specific basis for a number of federal and state-tracked sites that preliminarily screened well for wind.
Biomass
NREL has developed a series of maps showing the biomass resources available in the United States by county. Feedstock categories include crop residues; forest residues; primary and secondary mill residues; urban wood waste; and methane emissions from manure management, landfills, and domestic wastewater treatment. The EPA’s RE-Powering Mapper provides information on a site specific basis for a number of federal and state-tracked sites that preliminarily screened well for biomass.
Geothermal
NREL has developed a series of maps showing currently developed and planned geothermal power plant projects, as well as favorable resources for enhanced geothermal systems and identified hydrothermal sites. The EPA’s RE-Powering Mapper provides information on a site specific basis for a number of federal and state-tracked sites that preliminarily screened well for geothermal.
How can I Finance a Project?
Project financing varies by project size, as well as local market conditions and available incentives. For many large-scale projects, options range from owner-operator financing, where the system is purchased directly, to third-party power purchase agreements, where the system is owned by an energy developer and the site owner purchases electricity for a given term. Other financing structures include sale/lease back models, which enable the energy user, such as a city government, to use the energy through leasing agreements, while the system owner benefits from tax advantages.
In several states, community solar gardens or virtual net metering policies enable energy developers to partner with consumers who subscribe to purchase power for a given period of time. For large, utility-scale projects, financing is typically provided through project banks. Development of these utility-scale projects typically employs complex financing deal structures. The potential project scale, site owner, market conditions, and renewable energy developer typically dictate the financing option.
For more information on potential financing tools and resources, see RE-Powering’s Fact Sheet on Financing Renewable Energy Projects on Contaminated Lands.
What is Community Solar?
Community solar projects allow for residential and commercial utility customers to opt into a subscription plan that provides a share of either the solar panels or electricity output. These projects provide a direct benefit to utility customers by allowing them to purchase power from a solar project without having to install the system on their own property.
Community solar is similar to a community farm, where participants each have a plot of land or a share of the farm's produce. As shown in the Community Solar photo below, specific solar panels are allocated to each individual customer.
Community solar projects (sometimes called Shared Renewables) expand solar access by allowing residential and commercial utility customers that either: 1) lack the technical ability or financial resources to install solar on their premises, or 2) are located in an area where relying on solar would be impractical or inefficient, to purchase solar power for some or all of their electricity needs. For example, properties that are shaded by buildings or trees can instead purchase solar power through direct participation in local projects. A subscriber can live many miles from the solar project to which they subscribe, but will still receive credits on their monthly electric bill just as if the panels were mounted on their roof. See EPA’s website on Shared Renewables for additional information.
Why is Community Solar Important on RE-Powering Sites?
Community solar projects are typically between 1 to 5 megawatts (MW) and cover 6 to 30 acres of land. Landfills and mid-sized brownfield sites are typically a similar size, and this makes landfills and brownfields ideal locations for community solar projects.
As of October 2022, 42 community solar projects across a total of 18 states and U.S. territories have been installed on RE-Powering sites. In the past decade, community solar projects have grown significantly as a percentage of RE-Powering projects. The following graph illustrates types of solar projects over time and shows that the relative contribution of RE-Powering community solar projects have grown from zero in 2012 to 44% in 2021.
Why is this important to low-and moderate-income communities?
Many community solar projects allocate a certain percentage of subscriptions to low- and moderate-income customers, use local subcontractors to assist with installation and maintenance, and provide solar employment training for community residents.
See the National Community Solar Partnership for more information about supporting equitable community solar development in the U.S. The National Community Solar Partnership is a coalition of community solar stakeholders working to expand access to affordable community solar for every American household.
How Do I Find Sites for Community Solar?
One way to identify sites suitable for community solar is to use the RE-Powering Mapper. The RE-Powering Mapper Tutorial – Searching for Sites guides users through the process of locating acceptable sites that meet specific traits or criteria.
How Do State Programs Help Community Solar?
Some states have programs enabling community solar in the form of legislation that creates a third-party market for community solar and requires both project developers and utilities to follow certain regulations to enroll customers and develop community solar installations. In states without community solar programs, projects are typically developed and managed by the local utility.
For additional information on state-level policies and programs for community solar, including how states and territories address low- and moderate-income participation, see State Policies and Programs for Community Solar.
For example, New Jersey has implemented a Community Solar Energy Pilot Program, which applies evaluation criteria that prioritize brownfields, landfills, areas of historic fill, rooftops, and parking canopies. This program addresses environmental equity by allocating a significant portion of program capacity to low- and moderate-income communities.
Among Year 1 and 2 program awards, a total of 35 MWDirect Current (DC) and 41 MWDC respectively, were on landfill or brownfield sites. See Profiles of State Programs for more information on the New Jersey program and other RE-Powering-related programs.
Examples of Community Solar on RE-Powering Sites
Completed community solar projects that include environmental equity components:
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Oxon Run (2.65 MWDC) Brownfield Community Solar Project in Washington, DC Located on a 15-acre site that was contaminated with petroleum residues from nearby gas stations, this project provides several direct benefits to the area. Local subcontractors participated in solar construction, and approximately 750 income-qualifying households in the surrounding community each receive $500 of free electricity annually from the solar project. Extensive habitat enhancements were also made to the site, including restoration of native trees and pollinator plants.
- Coyote Ridge (1.95 MW) Landfill Community Solar Project in Fort Collins, CO This project covers 9 acres of landfill buffer and is managed by the local utility, Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association, an electric cooperative. Most of the community solar panels are allocated to income-qualified customers of the cooperative and local non-profit organizations. Due to its popularity, the project is already fully subscribed.
For more information on community benefits from RE-Powering projects, see the RE-Powering Benefits Matrix.
Are Incentives and Policies Available?
Incentives and policies affecting renewable energy development may be available at federal, state, or local levels. In 2022, federal incentives for energy communities were enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act, and many states have their own incentives that support installing renewable energy on potentially contaminated lands. See Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) for general information on federal, state, and local incentives and policies for renewable energy, and the descriptions below for information on incentives, policies, and their associated impacts related to potentially contaminated lands.
How Does Policy Impact RE-Powering?
There has been a steady growth in both the number of renewable energy installations on potentially contaminated lands and their overall capacity since 2007. As highlighted by the event timeline below, some of this growth can be attributed to increased knowledge about the concept, the introduction of EPA’s RE-Powering Initiative, and new incentives designed to increase renewable energy deployment. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act represent historic levels of investment in clean energy solutions. These recent legislative initiatives include provisions related to RE-Powering projects that promote investment in rural communities and expand access to affordable clean energy.
Federal Incentives and Policy
The Inflation Reduction Act includes bonus tax credits for installing wind and solar on brownfields, coal communities, and mining sites. To learn more about these incentives and bonuses, see Energy Community Tax Credit.
Inflation Reduction Act Information
For more information about the brownfields or Energy Communities bonus tax credit for renewable energy under the Inflation Reduction Act, see Supporting Brownfields Redevelopment using Tax Incentives and Credits.
State Incentives and Policy
States with the most renewable project development on contaminated lands, landfills, and mine sites typically have fostered, designed, and implemented longstanding, state-specific programs that prioritize the reuse of underutilized lands. The RE-Powering Policy Map shows the impact of certain RE-Powering policies at the state level.
RE-Powering policies include state financial incentives (including procurement requirements) and streamlined processes for the permitting or environmental reviews that are required for the development of renewables on potentially contaminated land. For example, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York all have long-standing state policies and incentives that encourage the development of solar on landfills and brownfields, which is evidenced by the number of developed projects in these states. West Virginia may see future increases in renewable project installations on contaminated lands due to legislation passed in 2020 that created the Renewable Energy Facilities Program, which provides preferential electric utility cost recovery for up to 400 MW of solar projects on former mining sites, closed landfills, brownfields and certain other preferred site types.
The following documents contain information about existing state policies as well as how to develop and implement an effective state policy that results in increased renewable energy development.
- State Program Selection and Design Tips (pdf) (2.47 MB)
- Examples of State Policies Supporting Renewable Energy Development on Landfills, Formerly Contaminated Lands, and Mines - Thumbnails of state programs (pdf) (159.87 KB)
- Profiles of State Programs for Renewable Energy Development on Landfills, Mines, and Contaminated Sites (pdf)
RE-Powering assisted the State of Michigan and the Commonwealth of Virginia with the following summaries of “RE-Powering” programs and best practices from other states in relation to Michigan’s and Virginia’s goals for renewables on potentially contaminated lands:
- Summary of “RE-Powering” State Programs for the Reuse of Virginia Landfills & Brownfields for Solar – June 2022 (pdf)
- Summary of State Programs for the Reuse of Brownfields, Landfills, and Former Mines for Renewable Energy in Michigan – April 2023 (pdf)
RE-Powering’s webinar Unlocking Brightfields Potential: State Programs to Encourage Renewable Energy Siting on Contaminated Lands - RE-Powering America's Land Initiative provides information and examples of state programs that encourage renewable energy on contaminated lands. This webinar explores how state-based programs can increase renewable energy projects on landfills, brownfields, mines, and other contaminated lands. It discusses common types of state programs along with information and tips on program selection, design, implementation, and potential impacts.
How do you Develop Solar on Landfills?
Reusing former landfills as large solar projects is a clear, growing trend. In 1988, there were nearly 8,000 landfills in the United States. In 2009, that number had dropped to below 2,000. The landfills that closed over the intervening years—plus portions of active landfills with closed cells—represent thousands of acres that may be suitable for siting solar projects.
Many landfills are particularly well-suited for solar development because they are often:
- Located near critical infrastructure including electric transmission lines and roads;
- Located near areas with high energy demand (e.g., large population bases);
- Constructed with large areas of minimal grade (0-2 percent) needed for optimal siting of solar photovoltaic (PV) structures;
- Offered at lower land costs when compared to open space; and
- Able to accommodate net metered or utility scale projects.
EPA and the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) jointly developed the Best Practices for Siting Solar Photovoltaics on Municipal Solid Waste Landfills. EPA and NREL created this document to provide assistance in addressing common technical challenges for siting solar photovoltaic (PV) on municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills.
- Best Practices for Siting Solar Photovoltaics on Municipal Solid Waste Landfills
This document provides best practices unique to siting solar photovoltaics on municipal solid waste landfills. Many stakeholders, including solar developers, landfill owners, and federal, state and local governments may find this information useful.
Does the Site need Interconnection to the Electricity Grid?
EPA’s RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative has developed discussion papers that discuss and explore topics related to creating successful renewable projects on contaminated lands, landfills and mine sites. The topics include:
Interconnection: Plugging RE-Powering Sites Into the Electric Grid
Are you a developer or local planner who wants to better understand the interconnection process for connecting renewable energy projects to the electric transmission and distribution systems? This discussion paper will help you understand the factors that influence cost and review cycles for interconnection.
The Value of Existing Infrastructure for Renewable Energy Development
Do you have a site with infrastructure that may be an asset to renewable energy development? Many formerly contaminated sites have existing infrastructure such as connections to the power grid, sewer lines or roads. In this paper you will learn about how to consider the economic value of existing infrastructure that may be available at the site. Find out more about the main types of existing infrastructure on RE-Powering sites and why they are valuable for renewable energy development.
RE-Powering Critical Infrastructure
Extreme weather events and natural hazards that can cause long-term power outages for critical infrastructure also create vulnerabilities for renewable energy installations. Location and building standards and best practices should be applied to protect renewable energy installations. Renewable energy in combination with a decentralized electricity grid can make communities more resilient.
To demonstrate how RE-Powering projects could be a part of a community’s energy resiliency portfolio, RE-Powering developed a methodology that can be used to evaluate the potential for RE-Powering sites to support critical infrastructure assets, including in emergency situations, and to identify specific EPA-screened sites with the best potential for supporting wastewater treatment infrastructure.
The study evaluated over 80,000 RE-Powering sites and nearly 17,000 wastewater infrastructure units. This methodology can be applied at national or local scales to other infrastructure (e.g., hospitals, schools, emergency centers, cell towers, fire stations, natural gas distribution centers, and others) if needs information can be calculated.