Laserfiche WebLink
4 Barriers and Actions to Address Barriers <br />Stakeholders identified numerous potential barriers and opportunities associated with developing solar <br />on CLP sites. These barriers and opportunities are summarized (in no particular order) in Table 4-1 and <br />Table 4-2. The literature review and stakeholder engagement process to identify these barriers is <br />described in Appendix B. <br />Table 4-1 Barriers Associated with Developing Solar on CLP Sites <br />.. <br />Phn <br />Use of state general obligation bonds to pay for site improvements restricts use for solar power generation. <br />Need approximately 5 "buildable" acres per megawatt (MW). Not all acres at a site can support solar development. <br />Awareness of the size of these sites is not well known. <br />Connection to transmission/distribution and an off -taker (user of electricity) can be expensive and some of these <br />sites may be too far from this infrastructure to be economically feasible. This is unique to CLP sites because the <br />sites were originally located where they are because of the need to manage waste, not generate energy for a near- <br />by user. <br />Upgrades to transmission/distribution system may be required to accommodate solar on landfills. This is not <br />unique to solar development on CLP sites. <br />MPCA CLP responsibilities for closed landfills (maintenance, erosion control, gas collection system <br />management/maintenance) may make development of solar more complex. <br />Funding may be hard to get for small sites. This is not unique to solar development on CLP sites. <br />Local and state support for solar development on closed landfills is not assured for every site. <br />Current contracts with power producers may prohibit or limit development of distributed energy sources (small- <br />scale power generation connected to the grid at the distribution level). This is specifically an issue with Municipal <br />and other cooperative power producers and is not unique to solar development on CLP sites. <br />Competition with other energy generation sources on price of power, or levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Solar on <br />closed landfills might not be the cheapest source of electricity. <br />Construction limitations on the landfill cap (smaller equipment, prohibition of penetrations, ballasted racking <br />systems, prohibition of buried/trenched lines) leading to higher construction costs. <br />Perception of risk affecting lenders (increased risk premium over greenfield site). Landfill sites carry some risk that <br />future maintenance or contamination issues will require part or all of a solar installation to be moved. <br />The age and stability of the landfill cap can be a barrier to installing solar equipment. <br />Local zoning/land use requirements may not be amenable to solar development. This is not unique to solar <br />development on CLP sites. <br />Interconnect queue. For larger sites, the queue for connecting to the existing transmission infrastructure is long <br />and difficult to predict. This is not unique to solar development on CLP sites. <br />0 <br />