Agenda - Council Work Session - 04/11/2023

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Executive summary The state of Minnesota has an opportunity to lead by example and promote solar development on brownfields (contaminated sites) like landfills, reducing development pressure on agricultural and natural lands while generating jobs in clean energy. Minnesota's climate is rapidly changing, and climate change impacts are likely to worsen in coming decades unless we can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The state of Minnesota has ambitious goals to reduce emissions, and while we have made progress on these goals, meeting them will require much more aggressive state and federal policies. Clean energy, such as solar power, is increasingly displacing the use of fossil fuels in Minnesota, helping to reduce emissions. The cost of solar has fallen in recent years, driving up solar installations and demand for land on which to site solar arrays. Siting solar development on brownfields including closed landfills, may be a way to meet some of the demand for land. The 1994 Landfill Cleanup Act created Minnesota's Closed Landfill Program (CLP) acknowledging that long term care of waste is a shared responsibility of a waste generating society. The scope of the program however is limited to a subset of 110 closed, state -permitted, mixed municipal solid waste landfills, other closed landfills and dumps in the state are not included in the program. This legislative report examines: 1) the potential for solar photovoltaic development on sites in the State of Minnesota's Closed Landfill Program (CLP), 2) barriers to development, and 3) recommendations that would facilitate solar development on these sites in line with state and local sustainability goals. To complete this study, the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) assembled an interagency team with members from the Departments of Administration, Commerce, and Management and Budget (MMB); the Metropolitan Council; and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Additionally, the EQB contracted with Barr Engineering Co. (Barr) to complete a technical assessment of the CLP sites. Key takeaways Solar potential There is significant potential for solar development on Minnesota's CLP sites. The technical assessment estimated that there is potential to generate 950 megawatts (MW) using solar on 4,500 acres in the CLP, or enough to power over 100,000 homes. Barriers Several barriers limit solar development on CLP sites. • The current statutory mission of the CLP is limited to taking environmental response actions and protecting human health and the environment. Establishing beneficial property reuse was is not included and funded in the original CLP program mission. • Half of the CLP's 110 sites have use restrictions because of past general obligation bond financing of cleanup actions. The prospects for beneficial reuse, including solar development, are limited for property where bond financing was used until the bonds are retired. • Solar development could be more costly and complex on closed landfills than on greenfield (uncontaminated) sites. Solar developers face uncertainty about site -specific suitability for solar, increased costs associated with construction on the landfill cap as well, as real and perceived risks associated with CLP responsibilities.