The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have developed and launched new tools designed to test underutilized sites and contaminated land for solar and wind energy potential.
The tools give local communities and landowners ways to evaluate sites for renewable energy potential without the need for technical expertise. The EPA estimates that nationwide there are approximately 490,000 sites and almost 15 million acres of potentially contaminated properties. The City of Richmond, CA is serving as a pilot community for development of the tools. The tools can be used to evaluate individual or multiple sites, such as brownfields, Superfund and other hazardous waste sites, abandoned parcels, landfills, parking lots, and commercial or industrial roofs, depending on the technology.
The tools give local communities and landowners ways to evaluate sites for renewable energy potential without the need for technical expertise. The EPA estimates that nationwide there are approximately 490,000 sites and almost 15 million acres of potentially contaminated properties. The City of Richmond, CA is serving as a pilot community for development of the tools. The tools can be used to evaluate individual or multiple sites, such as brownfields, Superfund and other hazardous waste sites, abandoned parcels, landfills, parking lots, and commercial or industrial roofs, depending on the technology.
