Site Conditions and Feasibility
This information is intended for sites where the cleanup program, whether Federal, state, or Tribal, has been identified.
Site conditions, such as contamination location, topography, regulated flood zones, and parcel dimensions, will impact the developable area. Challenges such as environmental cleanup, flood risks, and other climate concerns should be considered during the planning process. Consider how your answers to the following questions will affect project viability:
Conduct site-specific assessment on renewable energy potential.
If the pre-screening process determines that a project merits a more serious investment of time and financial resources to attract renewable energy developers, conducting an in-depth, site-specific assessment is recommended.
For example, on-site sensors may be installed to gather data over a long period (approximately 1 year) to confirm wind resource availability or a local shading analysis could be performed for potential solar projects.
Is cleanup needed at the site?
Accidents, spills, leaks, past improper disposal and handling of hazardous materials and wastes have resulted in more than a hundred thousand contaminated lands in the United States. EPA and its partners work to address contamination where necessary and encourage the restoration of such land for community reuse.
Many potentially contaminated or underused properties will undergo an environmental assessment; the results of the assessment will demonstrate that no cleanup, minimal cleanup, or substantial cleanup is required before the site can be returned to productive reuse. A timeline and schedule of cleanup milestones are recommended for sites under consideration for redevelopment. The schedule can inform a development timeline for renewable energy and some initial and planning activities may begin while cleanup activities are ongoing.
If you are unsure of the cleanup status that is applicable to your site, contact a RE-Powering team member in your region or visit how to identify sites.
Am I liable for cleanup?
It is important to understand your responsibility for potential cleanup liability on contaminated sites and related costs. To promote the numerous environmental, public health, and economic benefits associated with cleanup and reusing previously contaminated properties, EPA, states, and Tribes have developed various environmental cleanup programs. For information on liability and cleanup programs. More information regarding EPA’s liability and cleanup programs.
Are site terrain conditions and climate concerns accounted for?
The site’s terrain can impact project timelines and costs if additional site preparation, such as extensive grading or leveling of the ground or mitigating shading, is needed before construction can begin. Additionally, any associated climate risk on the site that could compromise the infrastructure or long-term protectiveness of the cleanup, such as flood risk and onsite stormwater management, should be considered when planning renewable energy projects.
Is access to transmission or distribution line readily available?
The site’s location and distance to the nearest electricity transmission or distribution line can significantly affect overall project costs and timing. An initial screening can be performed with publicly available transmission or distribution line and substation hosting capacity information provided by utilities. Ideally, a site should be less than a mile from the nearest electricity line. In addition, it’s preferred that the site be clear of impediments (e.g., waterways, highways, etc.) between itself and the point of interconnection to limit costs for laying new lines and have other nearby electricity infrastructure to minimize upgrade costs. More information on renewable energy infrastructure needs.
Evaluating project economics
A renewable energy project’s economic feasibility can depend on many factors, including environmental conditions, permitting requirements, transmission or distribution interconnection locations, technology cost and complexity, local electricity prices, available financial incentives, and other local factors. More information on project financing.
Am I liable for cleanup?
If you are considering the use of a contaminated or previously contaminated property for a renewable energy project, it is important to understand your potential responsibility for cleanup and related costs. Contaminated properties are cleaned up under a wide variety of federal, state, Tribal, and local government cleanup programs, and legal authorities. Generally, only contaminated properties with significant actual or potential public health and/or environmental impacts or those needing immediate attention are likely to be of federal interest. Whether a federal, state, local, or Tribal 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.
These programs may provide liability protection for parties that did not cause the contamination at the property. 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, including:
- Liability Reference Guide for Siting Renewable Energy on Contaminated Properties
- The Revitalization Handbook—Revitalizing Contaminated Lands: Addressing Liability Concerns
- Comfort/Status Letter Guidance
- Guidance: Superfund Liability Protections for Local Government Acquisitions
For more information regarding EPA’s cleanup policy and guidance, models, and publications, see the Agency’s website Addressing Liability Concerns to Support Cleanup and Reuse of Contaminated Lands.
Infrastructure for Renewable Energy
EPA’s RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative has developed discussion papers that explore topics related to creating successful renewable projects on contaminated lands, landfills, and mine sites. The topics include:
The Value of Existing Infrastructure for 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.
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.
How can I finance a project?
Project financing varies by project size, as well as local market conditions, ownership models, and available incentives.
Financing options are driven by who is the primary user (or “offtaker”) of the electricity produced by the project. For smaller projects, it is common for the site owner to use the electricity produced by the project to offset the electric utility bills paid by the site owner. In these cases, the site owner can pay for site redevelopment and construction and then own the energy system outright. Alternatively, to avoid the need for upfront capital expenses, site owners can have the system financed under a lease or power purchase agreement, with a renewable energy firm constructing, owning, and operating the system.
In another financing option, the local utility or a renewable energy firm is responsible for the renewable project financing and construction and supplies the power to off-site customers or sells the power into the broader market. In many states, this financing option covers RE-Powering projects that are part of community solar programs. Such programs enable renewable firms or utilities to partner with business and residential consumers, who subscribe to purchase local power for a given period.
To lower the net costs of financing, many states and other jurisdictions have incentives for renewable energy projects, and a growing number of jurisdictions also have incentives specific to renewable projects on contaminated lands. Other non-financial incentives, such as streamlined environmental permitting, are available for contaminated land renewable projects in some areas (e.g., New Jersey, New York, and Virginia) and reduce time to development. The RE-Powering Program, with support from NREL, developed the Economic Feasibility Tools training webinar to summarize how projects are typically developed and highlight the various tools that support early-stage project development.
For more information on financing-related resources and tools, see: