Once viewed as unusable eyesores, environmentally compromised sites like remediated brownfields and closed landfills are quickly becoming prime real estate for community solar projects. These developments offer vast untapped potential and alternatives to greenfield sites for commercial and industrial (C&I) project developers and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firms.

Success in repurposing these challenging terrains hinges on a nuanced approach rooted in technical expertise, strategic planning, the right PV technology, and a total solar solution. Below, we examine the market dynamics, opportunities, and strategies for EPCs and developers seeking to transform these liabilities into lasting assets.

Community Solar Market Growth and Saturation Dynamics

Community solar experienced its best year in 2024 as installations increased 35% year-over-year with 1,745 MWdc new capacity additions. The surge has nearly doubled the cumulative installed community solar capacity to 8.6 GWdc since 2021.

However, growth remains concentrated geographically, underscoring successful supportive state policies and the challenges of market saturation. New York and Maine installed 861 MWdc and 370 MWdc, respectively, accounting for 71% of national community solar volumes. Illinois followed with 213 MWdc, an 82% increase for the state compared to 2023.

Despite the impressive national volumes, industry analysts forecast an 8% average annual contraction through 2029 due to leading markets like New York and Illinois approaching saturation points. Additionally, smaller state markets face persistent interconnection challenges and program size cap limits.

As existing markets become saturated, finding new viable project locations becomes increasingly essential, making previously overlooked sites like landfills and brownfields more attractive. 

The Untapped Solar Potential of Landfills and Brownfields

The EPA and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have pre-screened almost 200,000 brownfield sites and performed site-specific analyses of potential landfill solar farms. They estimate that approximately 13,000 brownfield sites in the U.S. could be repurposed for renewable energy. If fully developed, these sites could potentially supply up to 1.3 million MW of solar energy, roughly equivalent to the power needs of every home in the country.

At the same time, the country’s declining number of active landfills, from nearly 8,000 in 1988 to fewer than 2,000 by 2009, also represent substantial acreage potentially suitable for solar projects. Landfill solar installations currently operating combine for about 2.5 GW of capacity, but analysts estimate the 10,000 closed landfills nationwide could expand that capacity by at least 25 times.

These sites align particularly well with community solar development since they typically range between 1 and 5 MW and cover 6-30 acres, dimensions that correspond with many landfill and mid-sized brownfield sites. This natural size compatibility has contributed to community solar’s growth, from 0% of EPA's RE-Powering projects in 2012 to 44% in 2021.

For solar development, the sites offer several distinct advantages:

1. Strategic location near existing critical infrastructure, like roads and transmission, reducing interconnection costs, complexities, and bottlenecks;

2. Proximity to population centers with high energy demand, ideal for community solar subscription models;

3. Topographical advantages with large areas of minimal grade (0-2%) optimal for solar PV installation;

4. Lower land acquisition costs compared to open space; and

5. Flexibility to accommodate various project scales from small net-metered installations to larger deployments.
    

Solar development also transforms these financial liabilities into revenue-generating assets for landowners, particularly municipal governments burdened with underutilized landfills or contaminated properties. These projects can create alternative revenue streams through lease payments while addressing environmental remediation goals.

These inherent advantages offer compelling value propositions, especially as traditional solar development faces increasing challenges with land acquisition and community opposition to greenfield development.

Navigating Environmentally Compromised-Specific Challenges

Despite the considerable potential, these sites have unique development hurdles that generally increase capital expenditures (CAPEX) and involve navigating more complex regulatory pathways.

Landfills require specialized engineering to avoid disturbing capped waste layers. Meanwhile, brownfields need rigorous environmental assessments, remediation coordination, and specialized permitting to address contamination risks, ground stability, settlement concerns, and other site-specific limitations. These factors can compromise economics and complicate execution, historically limiting widespread site development.

Despite these obstacles, these sites offer considerable benefits, like avoiding greenfield development, lowering land costs, and aligning with government incentives for brownfield redevelopment.

The Evolving Landscape of Brownfield Solar Incentives, Tax Credits, and Adders

Although the fate of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) remains uncertain, the bill dramatically reshaped the financial landscape for brownfield solar development through targeted Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and Production Tax Credits (PTC). These incentives remain widely popular in the industry, with the public, and on both sides of the political aisle, with many optimistic that it will remain in effect. 

Most significantly, the IRA introduced a 10% adder to the 30% ITC and PTC for renewable energy projects constructed on qualified brownfield sites. Recently, the IRS clarified its guidelines, allowing stacking brownfield tax credits. Along with the Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program and Energy Community adders, the credits can cover up to 50-60% of development costs. Notably, the IRS also clarified that a Phase 1 environmental site assessment suffices for smaller projects (5 MW AC or less) to qualify.

These stacked incentives can substantially improve project economics for developers navigating the complexities of brownfield redevelopment.

Enhancing Project Economics Through Technical PV Optimization and a Total Solar Solution

Since community solar projects on environmentally compromised sites involve higher CAPEX and longer timelines, EPCs and developers need innovative approaches to maintain economic feasibility while balancing subscriber value.

The TrinaPro total solar solution bundles Trinasolar's high-efficiency TOPCon N-type Vertex N, mounting, inverters, and balance-of-system (BOS) components in a one-stop shop that improves project economics by delivering higher energy density and offsetting soft costs. This integrated approach streamlines procurement, mitigates component interoperability risks, and enables EPCs and developers to focus resources on site-specific challenges while reducing administrative overhead and improving return on investment (ROI).

The long-term optimal system performance with minimal degradation maintains value for subscribers throughout the installation’s life, enhancing the business case for turning unused brownfields into community solar “brightfields.”

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