New Mining the Sun report from The Nature Conservancy offers resources to reduce costs.

While Illinois continues to work to reach its ambitious renewable energy goals, where to site solar panels and wind turbines, along with the associated costs, are just two barriers slowing down progress. But the new Mining the Sun report from The Nature Conservancy shows repurposing low-conflict sites, like former coal mines, is a financially viable and community-centered option. Illinois has more than 200,000 acres of former strip mines, according to the report, and several thousand other sites that would make suitable hosts for renewable energy.

Mining the Sun shows Illinois has plenty of otherwise underutilized space, such as old mines and “brownfields,” which are former industrial or commercial sites that may have environmental contaminants but are well-suited locations for a field of solar panels or wind turbines. The report says to make that happen, policy changes likely will be needed.

“Illinois has outstanding opportunities to deploy more clean energy installations without taking over prime farmland or encroaching on open greenspaces,” said Tonyisha Harris, Climate and Energy Program Manager for The Nature Conservancy in Illinois. “Given the progressive policy measures already in place, Illinois is a compelling location for clean energy projects on mine lands and brownfields.”

The state’s groundbreaking Climate and Equitable Jobs Act of 2021 (CEJA) is forecast to drive nearly five times the current capacity for wind and solar by 2050. Renewable energy incentives through CEJA are bolstered significantly when combined with the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

“If Illinois goes even further with its policy initiatives to fund projects, we’re going to see a real boom in renewable energy sources in the state,” Harris said.

The report recommends Illinois:

•Leverage $75 million in new federal Abandoned Mine Land funds in IIJA to expand the state’s ability to remediate additional sites to support renewable energy projects;

•Build awareness of the 10 percent federal tax credit available through the IRA for renewable energy projects; and

•Amend relevant state environmental statutes involving mine lands and brownfields to include clean energy and storage as eligible uses for program funding.

Voted into law in 2022, the IRA includes a 10 percent tax credit to site clean energy installations on brownfields, along with $250 billion to repurpose old coal and oil infrastructure for clean energy. Passed in 2021, IIJA provides $500 million for large-scale wind and solar demonstration projects on former mine lands. Grant opportunities, such as the Abandoned Mine Land program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfield Program, can further reduce the cost of building on former industrial lands, according to Harris.

In addition to recommendations for Illinois, the report looks at opportunities across the U.S. to build on mine lands and brownfields. Siting on mines and other industrialized areas can be a way for renewable projects to be completed faster and with lower community conflict, which is important to meet U.S. net zero goals by 2050, Harris stated. Across the U.S., there are up to 20 million acres of mine lands and brownfields suitable for new clean energy projects, enough to meet the energy needs of most U.S. homes each year.

“These sites often already are cleared and graded and frequently have electric lines and other infrastructure that make the area suitable to build,” Harris continued. “They also provide a new, productive use to mines that have closed and can provide tax revenue to the local community. Siting renewables on former industrial sites holds great promise for the energy transition.”

Despite these advantages, nationwide there are only 500 wind and solar projects on brownfields, and most of them are small. Due to a host of factors — the cost of cleaning up potential contamination, legal and liability risks, and ownership complexities — these sites largely have been avoided as a clean energy resource.

“The United States cannot meet its energy and climate goals without the rapid deployment of large-scale solar installations,” Harris noted. “Renewable energy development on mine lands is not a silver bullet, but it is an exceptionally promising avenue to produce clean energy in a way that respects communities and local landscapes. We encourage renewable energy developers, electric utilities, policymakers, and regulators to read the report to learn more about the opportunities to site clean energy on mines and brownfields in their communities.”

Visit nature.org/miningthesun to read the Mining the Sun report.