The Mutual Benefits of Community Solar on Brownfields

Commercial property owners are making space for community solar projects. In addition to supporting positive community relations, these projects enhance grid resiliency and enable local ratepayers to save money on their electricity bills. Now an additional benefit is surfacing, as community solar arrays become a remediation strategy for contaminated sites like brownfields — abandoned industrial and commercial sites that contain contaminants like hazardous substances or pollutants.

Brownfields and solar energy

Using shuttered landfills and other environmentally-compromised sites for solar development is already a common practice in the solar industry. It allows solar developers to avoid the land use issues that arise when a large solar project is located on a farm or natural habitat.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began promoting brownfield-to-solar projects during former President Barack Obama’s administration, through the RE-Powering program. In addition to re-using compromised land, the permitting and zoning process is typically shorter for these projects, and tax incentives may be applied, according to the EPA. At some sites, transmission and transportation infrastructure is already available, as well.

Landfills are typically large enough to accommodate utility-scale projects, and they include large areas where the grade is optimal for the placement of solar panels, according to the agency.

Communities tend to support re-use projects because they put derelict space into service while preserving open space for the possibility of another conversion in the future. Unlike conventional power plants and other structures, solar panels can be installed and removed with minimal disruption to the surface.

Brownfields-to-solar projects can also provide an opportunity to re-establish native plants. Re-seeding solar arrays on farmland for pollinator habits is a common practice in agrivoltaics, and that has sparked the landscaping industry to begin practicing a remediation-oriented specialty, called ecovoltaics, in which land is shared between solar arrays and habitat restoration projects.

The benefits of brownfield-located community solar projects

Community solar began as a fringe concept, typically using property owned by local jurisdictions or nonprofit organizations. More recently, commercial property owners began supporting the community solar movement with rooftop arrays and ground-mounted projects.

“Community solar is a wonderful thing,” Richard Lu, president and CEO of the Canadian solar developer SolarBank, told TriplePundit. “More than 50 percent of households can’t have rooftop solar, and a community solar project enables everyone to participate.”

SolarBank specializes in community solar projects on brownfields and other compromised land. “There’s not much you can do with some of these legacy sites, not even a parking lot,” Lu said. “But a solar project can turn a Superfund site into a power generation site. It converts a liability into an asset, and it puts the property owner on much better terms with the EPA.”

Solar development also has advantages over conventional land remediation projects. Lu cited a group of three SolarBank community solar projects on a 500-acre parcel of land in upstate New York owned by the technology and manufacturing company Honeywell as an example. SolarBank worked closely with professional and academic experts to replant the arrays with a bespoke mix of low-growing grasses and flowers with long roots.

“It would be ridiculous to cover it all with a tarp. Honeywell is happy about their community relations, and the neighbors have a discount on their electricity,” Lu said.

The importance of state-based policies

SolarBank takes a systematic approach to site selection, working closely with economic development officials in New York to understand the needs of underserved counties and local communities. Opening up community solar arrays for local shepherds to graze their flocks is one example.

To help improve local grid resiliency, SolarBank is also integrating energy storage into its projects. The company carefully researched emerging technologies before committing to a safety-enhanced battery to accompany a new community solar project on a landfill in Buffalo, New York.

Although federal energy policy is in a state of disarray, state-based solar policies can still provide ample support for community solar projects on brownfields. Last September, for example, lawmakers in New Jersey approved additional incentives for community solar projects on landfills. 

The enhancements earned acclaim from the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce. The new legislation "will turn underutilized and dormant sites into vibrant, productive properties that will have great economic development potential,” Michael Egenton, executive vice president of government relations for the chamber, said in a statement. 

There is also room for growth in the broader field of landfill-to-solar conversions. The Florida-based engineering firm Castillo calculates that landfill solar projects in the U.S. rose 80 percent over the last five years, Waste Today reports. But only four states — New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey — account for 70 percent of these utility-scale projects. 

Whether or not the EPA continues to actively support the RE-Powering program, the stage is already set for growth. The agency calculates that approximately 6,000 landfills in the U.S. closed between 1988 and 2009, containing thousands of acres that could be converted to solar energy.