Assessment of Solar Development on Previously Impacted Mine Lands in Pennsylvania
To help gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with solar development on active, abandoned, or reclaimed mine sites (collectively referred throughout the assessment as Previously Mined Lands), the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Energy Programs Office (EPO) commissioned an Assessment of Solar Development on Previously Impacted Mine Lands in Pennsylvania.
The assessment provides information on:
- The current state of previously mined lands in Pennsylvania as well as solar development initiatives in Pennsylvania.
- The different factors that affect solar development on previously mined sites compared to non-impacted sites.
- The solar development process on previously mined lands.
- Feedback from different stakeholder groups involved in the solar development process on previously mined lands.
- Recommendations that could lead to the further deployment of solar facilities on previously mined lands.
Recommendations are categorized by Policy and Incentives, Education and Outreach, Program Development, Investment of Federal Funding, and Process Improvements.
In general, the assessment has found that solar development on previously mined sites may be more difficult compared to development on other non-impacted sites, but there are no technical or regulatory issues preventing these types of installations. It is possible to combine different sources of federal Abandoned Mine Land (AML) funding to get a reclaimed site “solar ready”. However, even with the availability of these funding sources for site reclamation, there are additional costs associated with developing projects on previously mined sites compared to non-impacted sites. There is justification for additional public investment (through grants, tax abatements, or other incentives) to further guide development to these previously mined lands if it is identified as policy priority. Absent of additional incentives, large organizations that make bulk purchases of electricity from solar facilities should be made aware of these additional costs and consider specifying procurement requirements for solar energy that is sited on previously mined lands when looking to satisfy corporate ESG goals.
Although there are over 216,000 surface acres of Abandoned Mine Land in Pennsylvania, not all of these areas are viable for solar development. Some of the 216,000 surface acres have mine features (such as flooded strip mines or subsidence prone areas) that make them impractical for siting a solar facility. Other areas are already been redeveloped or are classified as wetlands. 169,000 acres remain after removing for these areas, and most of this land (74%) is currently forested. Of these 169,000 acres, 27,000 (16%) have been reclaimed since 1980, while the remaining 142,000 (84%) acres are still awaiting reclamation. Utilizing only 5% of these 169,00 surface acres with general site characteristics suitable for solar development would result in 9,000 acres that can be repurposed, and the potential deployment of 1.5 gigawatts of solar capacity. More refining of this data is needed to identify specific areas with favorable site characteristics (slope/terrain, aspect/orientation, and access to electric infrastructure) for solar development, but this analysis was outside the scope of the assessment.
Additionally, there are currently 64,000 acres of permitted active surface mines, and 20,000 acres of permitted coal refuse sites in Pennsylvania. It should be noted that active mines may continue operations well into the future, and not be suitable for solar development in the near- or long-term. However, if a coal operator decides to proceed with a solar facility as part of the post reclamation land use, these sites may be more attractive since they are larger, contiguous sites with one ownership group.
A final key take-away is the need for additional pathways (such as community solar) for medium sized solar installations to be economically viable in order to unlock previously mined sites for solar development. Previously mined land sites are generally smaller and fragmented, with multiple landowners, and are not ideal for 100 acres plus grid-scale projects. However, there are many 15-30-acre sites that are viable for medium sized solar installations, and this could take pressure off development on agricultural and forested sites.
The full Assessment of Solar Development on Previously Impacted Mine Lands in Pennsylvania can be downloaded here. An executive summary with key findings and recommendations is also available. Information about the assessment and future updates will be posted to the DEP Solar Energy Resources Hub Developers Page.
The assessment was prepared under a joint effort between The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Energy Programs Office, the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, and LaBella Associates.
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