New York state eyes Love Canal site for large scale renewable energy project
The site of the worst environmental disaster involving chemical wastes in U.S. history could be transformed into a large-scale, eco-friendly, solar renewable energy project. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is considering the site of the Love Canal landfill, the worst environmental disaster involving chemical wastes in U.S. history. The 16-acre proposed solar farm is currently owned by the city of Niagara Falls and is located near Colvin Boulevard, north of the LaSalle Expressway, and between 93rd and 95th streets. Gillian D. Black, director of NYSERDA’s Build-Ready program, said the program aims to develop large-scale renewable energy projects on difficult sites that the private sector is not developing. The initial plan for the site is a ballasted solar electric system, which is well-engineered for contaminated properties. If successful, the state will begin negotiations to lease the land from the city and begin working on the regulatory approval process.
Publicados : um mês atrás por RICK PFEIFFER | [email protected] no Environment
The site of the worst environmental disaster involving chemical wastes in U.S. history could be transformed into a large-scale, eco-friendly, solar renewable energy project.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has begun the process to determine if the land that was once Hooker Chemical Company’s Love Canal landfill can be reclaimed and developed into the Vincent Welch Build-Ready Solar project.
The land under consideration for the proposed solar farm, roughly 16 acres, is owned by the city of Niagara Falls and is south of Colvin Boulevard, north of the LaSalle Expressway and between 93rd and 95th streets. It was once the location of the Griffin Housing Development, as well as the Love Canal.
“It is directly west of the fenced and capped Love Canal site,” said Gillian D. Black, director of NYSERDA’s Build-Ready program. “We are in the early exploratory phase of this project.”
Black said the Build-Ready program looks to “advance large-scale renewable energy projects on difficult sites that the private sector isn’t developing.” Among the “difficult sites” that Build-Ready is looking to develop are brownfields, landfills, existing or abandoned commercial and industrial sites, dormant electric generating sites, former mines and closed prisons and parking lots.
Once Build-Ready identifies a site for redevelopment, it carries out the project design, engineering, permitting, and electrical grid interconnection review as well as developing a host community benefit package.
“We act as a private developer would to bring the land back on the tax rolls,” Black said. “We negotiate PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreements, community benefit agreements, we act like a private developer to bring difficult sites back for renewable energy generation, but we don’t compete with the private sector.”
Black said after the Build-Ready sites have been “de-risked,” the program’s goal is to bring private sector energy companies, known as independent power producers (IPPs), into the project for its final development. NYSERDA looks to auction off the sites through what it describes as “an open and competitive request for proposal (RFP) process for construction and operation.”
The Love Canal site was first proposed to NYSERDA by the administration of Mayor Robert Restaino and Black said there have been ongoing discussions of the project with the mayor and his staff.
Build-Ready’s initial plan for the site is a ballasted solar electric system. The system generally uses concrete weights to anchor the framing that holds the panels used for solar energy collection to the ground.
Black said such systems are well-engineered for contaminated properties like the Love Canal because they do not need posts or post holes to be held in place.
“There is no need to puncture the ground,” Black said, “which is the best for capped properties (like the Love Canal) where the caps can or should not be penetrated.”
The Build-Ready director said the program has met with representatives of National Grid to begin a review of whether the proposed solar farm can be successfully connected to the larger local power grid.
“That’s going to take a while,” Black said, “but we feel very good about the interconnectivity of this project.”
If NYSERDA determines the project is viable, Black said they will begin negotiations to lease the land from the city and begin working on the regulatory approval process. They will also look to put together a host community benefits package which would likely include discounted electricity for local residents.
“We are looking to create a win, win, win across the board here,” Black said.
More information is available by going to https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Build-Ready-Program/Build-Ready-Project-Sites/BR-Vincent-Welch
Tópicos: Green Energy, ESG, Renewables