Brownfields Are Blue Ribbon Green Energy Sites

Increasing our reliance on renewable energy in an effort to move away from fossil fuels (much of which we have to import) seems to many of us to be a cut-and-dried no-brainer.

As surprising as it may seem, and as tempted as we might be to dismiss resistance to new clean energy projects as short-sighted nimbyism, the fact remains that not everyone is on board. We have seen homeowners with fears of spoiled views put the halt on offshore wind projects off of Massachusetts. Plans were shelved for a Mojave Desert solar farm after wildlife habitat concerns were raised. And just recently, protesters descended upon the state of Maine’s first wind energy conference raising concerns that the scenic character of the parts of the state with high wind energy potential will be marred.

As Scientific American reports, the nation’s supply of disturbed and often contaminated industrial land, also referred to as brownfields, may offer a creative solution. The country has thousands of currently unused former industrial sites which could provide an easy answer for where to more easily site new energy projects while finding a way to make use of land we otherwise have a really hard time putting to good use.

And if that’s not adequately win-win enough for your tastes, consider the fact that many of these former industrial sites already come equipped with infrastructural linkage to the power grid. While in most instances upgrades would be necessary, the creation of new easements and corridors for transmission infrastructure could be dramatically reduced.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is running with the concept. They have identified 13 contaminated sites for feasibility study as conversion to clean energy usage, and 15 abandoned rock mines that have been rated as viable for wind energy production.

Further, next month EPA plans to take it on the road with a series of national workshops. These are intended to provide a forum for elected officials, regulators, business and industry representatives, and environmental groups to collaboratively discuss and explore opportunities to convert inactive, less savory spaces into mean, green, energy production machines.

Photo courtesy of EPA, via Wikimedia Commons