Renewable potential of old industrial sites
The Renewable Energy Interactive Mapping Tool on Google Earth allows users to pinpoint EPA renewable energy siting locations and to search for detailed site information via contaminated land type or renewable energy type.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified nearly 4,100 contaminated sites nationally, including abandoned mines, disused factories and some landfills, that could be suitable for renewable energy projects–primarily solar and wind power, and some biomass harvesting. Contaminated sites are considered particularly appealing for renewable energy projects because they are less likely than other sites to be prized for their habitat value.
The EPA survey found about 5 million acres of land appropriate for solar power development and 500,000 acres for wind power (this inventory is available for perusal using the EPA’s new Renewable Energy Interactive Mapping Tool on Google Earth). The EPA estimates that if projects were fully implemented on all of these sites, a potential 950,000 megawatts could be generated, totaling more energy than was expended in the U.S. in 2007. In November, they plan to host a series of workshops to help governments and local leaders step in this direction.
(via Scientific American)
