Potential Application of Renewable Energy on Brownfield Sites: A Case Study of Michigan

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.landpolicy.msu.edu/modules.php?name=Documents&op=viewlive&sp_id=899

Potential Application of Renewable Energy on Brownfield Sites
A Case Study of Michigan

…

B. Using Brownfield Sites to Produce Renewable Energy

Most of the current thinking about the location of energy parks is focused on vacant tracts of agricultural and forested lands where substantive transmission and other infrastructure does not exist (McDaniel, 2008). This approach invariably competes with land uses from environmental, food production, housing, tourism and other socially accepted priorities for land use. Brownfields offer a compelling alternative to siting renewable energy production on open lands. This application could address current constraints to brownfield redevelopment (markets and remediation costs), while providing an immediate opportunity to produce clean new renewable energy. Since many of our brownfield sites are in cities and other industrial locations which have been hardest hit by job loss, a brownfield application of renewable energy will benefit those communities too.

Brownfield sites offer multiple advantages to renewable energy development:
• A more ready market for the end product, as brownfields are generally close to areas of high energy consumption.
• Proximity to grid transmission.
• Available land with few current competing uses.
• Existing transportation systems.
• Proximity to consumers and homeowners, which may allow more localized energy supply in the future.
• Sustainability and reduction of collective carbon footprint.
• Site improvements over existing use.
• Flexibility to adapt sites to higher uses in the future.
• Existing incentive programs can be readily applied to renewable energy development without additional funding for environmental remediation.

C. Study Objectives, Rationale and Methods: A Preliminary Case Study of Michigan

The prime objective of this study is to evaluate the potential for renewable energy development on brownfield sites. Due to the diversity and geographic dispersion of brownfield sites nationally, and the absence of consistent national state-by-state data on renewable energy potential, one state was selected as a case study—Michigan. With the heavy manufacturing heritage of the state and the rapidly changing focus of the economy, many industrial sites were put out of production and market relevance. Michigan now has one of the largest inventories of brownfield sites in the nation (NALGEP, 2004). An estimated 44,000 acres of brownfield lands are currently undeveloped in the state of Michigan (MEDC, 2008). In comparison, there are approximately 480,000 potentially contaminated sites (15 million acres) across the Unites States that are tracked by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (McDaniel, 2008). National figures indicate that the EPA Brownfields Program has leveraged 48,238 jobs and $11.3 billion in new investment as of March 2008. In addition, the 2007 U.S. Conference of Mayors survey indicates that 150 cities have redeveloped 1,578 sites (Paull, 2008).

With the newly constituted Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority and other initiatives, Michigan’s aggressive brownfield incentive programs may well put it at the forefront of brownfield redevelopment innovation nationally (MEDC, 2008). As of December 2006, there were 266 Local Brownfield Authorities (BRAs) comprised of 1,335 members in Michigan (Smedley, and Van Daale, 2007). These were established under Michigan’s Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act (Act 381 of 1996). These authorities are charged with developing Brownfield Redevelopment Plans for their community and establishing redevelopment activities and priorities. During the 10 year period between 1998 and 2007, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) received 369 Act 381 work plans associated with 180 individual projects, with approved brownfield Redevelopment plans from 79 different Brownfield Redevelopment Authorities. According to MDEQ, for projects receiving approval or conditional approval, BRAs estimated that the amount of private investment that would be made as part of these redevelopment efforts is more than $2.6 billion, creating more than 15,600 jobs and resulting in the redevelopment of more than 3,400 acres (Smedley, and Van Daale, 2007).

…