RE-Power Military Bases Deploy renewable energy on potentially contaminated or underutilized sites at operating and closed military bases RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative August 6, 2012 MICHAEL MONTGOMERY Assistant Director Superfund Federal Facility And Site Cleanup US Environmental Protection Agency Pacific Southwest Region
2012 ADC ANNUAL CONFERENCE| PAGE 2 2 Agenda RE-Powering Overview Tools & Resources Google Earth Solar and Wind Decision Trees EPA Guidance & Additional Tools Siting Renewable Energy while Clean-Up is Ongoing Best Practices for Siting Solar PV on Landfills Acknowledgements
ADC ANNUAL CONFERENCE| PAGE 3 WIND EPA’s RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative EPA’s RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative encourages renewable energy development on current and formerly contaminated land and mine sites when aligned with the community's vision for the site. GEOTHERMAL BIOMASS SOLAR
2012 ADC ANNUAL CONFERENCE| PAGE 4 4 Benefits of Redeveloping Potentially Contaminated or Underutilized Sites
RE-Powering Tools & Resources
2012 ADC ANNUAL CONFERENCE| PAGE 6 6 RE-Powering Google Earth EPA Tracked Sites: Nationwide RE-Powering Google Earth overlay showing 11,000 potentially contaminated sites pre-screened for renewable energy potential 141 DOD Superfund sites screened Active bases Former bases and installations Munitions sites, depots & mfg facilities Landfills & disposal sites Training areas 137 sites with strong RE Potential Solar: 70 sites - Good to Excellent Wind: 8 sites - Good to Superior Biomass: 134 sites - Good to Outstanding Geothermal: 12 sites - Power plant potential 123 sites - Heat pump
2012 ADC ANNUAL CONFERENCE| PAGE 7 7 RE-Powering Google Earth EPA Tracked Sites: Site-level information Federal facilities filters
2012 ADC ANNUAL CONFERENCE| PAGE 8 8 Solar & Wind Decision Trees Site Screening Tool I. Pre- Screening Solar or Wind Resource Available Area Distance to Existing Infrastructure Site Topology Redevelopment Priorities & Land Use Exclusions II. Site Screening Owner interest System Type: Rooftop or Ground Mount Electricity Costs Energy Demand Contaminated Site Considerations, Status, and Readiness III. Financial Screening Policy Considerations Federal and State rebates and incentives Installation costs Designed to guide users through a three- phase process to assess sites for redevelopment with solar PV or wind energy Objective Empower stakeholders to build successful projects that return potentially contaminated sites to beneficial use or increase productivity of already developed, but underutilized sites Inputs Data readily available through (i) visual site inspection; (ii) GIS parcel maps or online databases; (iii) site owners or managers; (iv) economic and policy incentives Results Go/no go recommendation to pursue renewable energy development project
2012 ADC ANNUAL CONFERENCE| PAGE 9 9 Tools & Resources Handbook on Siting Renewable Energy Projects While Addressing Environmental Issues Best Practices for Siting Solar PV on Landfills Current best practices associated with system design, construction, O&M **Released for public comment. Feedback requested by August 30, 2012** Solar array installed on Ft. Carson landfill cap Colorado Fixed tilt system at landfill Massachusetts Other tools & resources EPA-NREL feasibility studies Liability factsheets Success stories & case studies Quarterly webinars & newsletters Stakeholder-focused workshops Portion of 32 MW array installed on former jet propulsion testing site New York
2012 ADC ANNUAL CONFERENCE| PAGE EPA Liability Protections Support for RE on Contaminated Lands To facilitate this beneficial reuse, EPA will work to address potential liability issues and to determine whether a property- specific document from EPA may be needed State vs. Federal Programs Majority of contaminated properties requiring cleanup are addressed by state cleanup programs Few sites require federal involvement Existing Liability Protections CERCLA includes a number of liability protections and generally prohibits federal CERCLA enforcement against parties who are cleaning up lower risk properties in compliance with a state response program that specifically governs cleanups. Leases & Responsibility Not all leases trigger CERCLA liability for lessees. In some cases, lessees can obtain BFPP status to secure protections. Due Diligence Consult with legal counsel and the appropriate state, tribal or local environmental protection agency before taking any action to acquire, cleanup, or redevelop contaminated property For a more comprehensive overview of liability considerations, please review EPA Report No. EPA-330-F , “Siting Renewable Energy on Contaminated Properties: Addressing Liability Concerns.”
2012 ADC ANNUAL CONFERENCE| PAGE Nellis AFB Las Vegas, NV Historical uses Military base infrastructure/housing Weapons testing Landfill (PVC/TCE contaminates) PV System description 140 acres // 33 acres landfill 14 MW // 2 MW landfill (~2,350 homes) Single-axis, tilted tracking system 25% of base energy requirements ~$1M in annual energy savings Deal structure Privately financed for tax-credit benefits 20-year power purchase agreement between utility and USAF Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC) go to utility to meet RPS This 14-MW solar facility is one of the largest solar installations on a U.S. military base.
2012 ADC ANNUAL CONFERENCE| PAGE RE-Powering Contacts & Resources EPA Region 9 Federal Facilities & DOD/Sustainability Mike Montgomery: 415 Barbara Maco: 415 Clare Mendelson (USAF): 415 EPA RE-Powering contacts Shea Jones: 202 For regional contacts, go to: AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow hosted by RE-Powering Katie Brown: 202 For additional resources, visit the EPA RE-Powering website: