A Superfund site in New Jersey may now be the largest such solar farm of its kind thanks to CEP Renewables giving it a new life—one that’s capable of generating 25.6 megawatts (MW) of power. Those panels have the ability to power thousands of homes on a site that was once so toxic that it was contaminating surrounding groundwater with volatile organic compounds deemed carcinogenic. The Combe Fill North Landfill was shuttered in 1981, cleaned up by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and subsequently removed from its list of Superfund National Priorities in 2004.
The company that partnered with CEP Renewables says it’s their eighth project together. There seems to be plenty of shuttered landfill space, and certainly a demand for putting solar farms on sites that otherwise would sit vacant and present a potential danger to communities. Redevelopment of Superfund sites can also prove critical for other renewable projects, as with the planned Panasonic battery factory at Kansas’ Astra Enterprise Park. The park itself was created following the final remediation of the former Sunflower Ammunition Plant Superfund site.
These types of projects also represent a boost to jobs that have found bipartisan support, according to CleanTechnica. Part of this comes from the fact that many of these jobs are being created in conservative states, where lawmakers and communities can witness firsthand the renewable industry’s benefits. According to Marketwatch, so appealing are solar panel jobs alone that 75% of Americans surveyed last month by the solar company Mosaic said they’d take a job in that field.
There are, unfortunately, barriers to certain renewable positions. Wind energy suffers from a lack of talent, though certainly not a lack of interest, as many eager applicants want to gain experience but frequently have trouble getting their foot in the door. Earlier this week, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published a survey showing that “employers cited a lack of appropriate experience, education and training, and enough applicants as reasons they cannot find qualified applicants for positions.”
On the flip side, the NREL survey found that “students and recent graduates identified difficulties in getting relevant work experience and technical training as well as finding employment opportunities near where they live or want to live.” Solar and wind power have technically been used for thousands of years, yet there are definite disparities between the two when it comes to supporting new employee hopefuls and early career workers.
With the EPA itself interested in creating a variety of renewable energy sources on Superfund sites, there is even more momentum to change the way we look at a net-zero future and how we can get there equitably.
The company that partnered with CEP Renewables says it’s their eighth project together. There seems to be plenty of shuttered landfill space, and certainly a demand for putting solar farms on sites that otherwise would sit vacant and present a potential danger to communities. Redevelopment of Superfund sites can also prove critical for other renewable projects, as with the planned Panasonic battery factory at Kansas’ Astra Enterprise Park. The park itself was created following the final remediation of the former Sunflower Ammunition Plant Superfund site.
These types of projects also represent a boost to jobs that have found bipartisan support, according to CleanTechnica. Part of this comes from the fact that many of these jobs are being created in conservative states, where lawmakers and communities can witness firsthand the renewable industry’s benefits. According to Marketwatch, so appealing are solar panel jobs alone that 75% of Americans surveyed last month by the solar company Mosaic said they’d take a job in that field.
There are, unfortunately, barriers to certain renewable positions. Wind energy suffers from a lack of talent, though certainly not a lack of interest, as many eager applicants want to gain experience but frequently have trouble getting their foot in the door. Earlier this week, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published a survey showing that “employers cited a lack of appropriate experience, education and training, and enough applicants as reasons they cannot find qualified applicants for positions.”
On the flip side, the NREL survey found that “students and recent graduates identified difficulties in getting relevant work experience and technical training as well as finding employment opportunities near where they live or want to live.” Solar and wind power have technically been used for thousands of years, yet there are definite disparities between the two when it comes to supporting new employee hopefuls and early career workers.
With the EPA itself interested in creating a variety of renewable energy sources on Superfund sites, there is even more momentum to change the way we look at a net-zero future and how we can get there equitably.