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The Just Transition Fund Awards EPCAMR $25K Planning and Outreach Grant to Reach New Partners in the Solar Markets to Discuss Future Development Opportunities on Reclaimed Abandoned Mine Lands in PA Coalfield Communities

Bobby Hughes — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 21:09:05 +0000

EPCAMR tried for a second time to propose a grant to The Just Transition Fund’s Cycle 2 round of funding in the Fall of 2021 for a planning and outreach effort to build our capacity for supporting efforts across PA to look into the solar market development in our coalfield communities and on reclaimed abandoned mine lands and were successful. We will be working to expand our Solar Site Selection Criteria GIS Suitability Modeling Tool to spread it out beyond the EPCAMR region only, and go state-wide with it, as we build on to it with additional data layers from new partnerships and stakeholders we hope to make. Highlights of the initial creation of the tool by EPCAMR can be found in the Reclaiming Appalachian Coalition’s Restoration and Renewal
The New Appalachian Economy Report, created by Appalachian Voices, Coalfield Development Corporation, Rural Action, and Downstream Strategies. We were awarded $25K to work on the planning effort over the next year.

Figure 1. Aspect Raster Layer of a portion of the Northern Anthracite Coalfields

Suitability Layer of a portion of the Northern Anthracite Coalfields related to Solar within coalfield communities and the potential siting on formerly reclaimed abandoned mine lands

The grant really has 3 goals…

Spent time on outreach and building partnerships across the State to advocate for solar development on formerly reclaimed mine lands and in coalfield communities
Further develop our Solar Site Selection Criteria GIS Suitability Modeling Tool for GIS now that we have the Anthracite Region covered, and make the tool more robust by adding additional layers
Provide education, outreach, internships, to advocate for the potential for either small scale community solar or large scale solar development that could lead to jobs, workforce development, and professional skills training like we already do with the Earth Conservancy through their Environmental Workforce Training Program

Staff are reviewing the scope of work and will begin to reach out across PA in the coming weeks ahead looking for partners, regional non-profits, solar developers, landowners with interest in solar development in coalfield communities and on reclaimed abandoned mine lands. We hope to involve existing partners across the State that have been a part of the PA AML Campaign, including the Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (WPCAMR), Citizens Coal Council, the Foundation for PA Watersheds, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Western PA Conservancy, PA Association of Conservation Districts, and the Mountain Watershed Association.

Utility Companies, like PPL, Dominion, UGI, and others in the Utility Services Territoriers tied into the PJM Markets and Operations that we are less familiar with, as well as leaders in coalfield communities that would like to see if small scale community solar could work for them at a municipal level will be some of our target audiences to conduct some initial outreach to across the Commonwealth. Economic development agencies, Chambers of Commerces, Industrial Development Authorities, Real Estate Companies, all seem to be integral to the discussion as well. We will be interested to hear from solar developers and companies as we proceed to let us know what some of the hurdles, impediments, opportunities, and incentives that might need to be discussed to direct more attention to former abandoned mine lands for small or large scale solar development projects to get off the ground in PA, like they are in the surrounding states of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Southwestern Virginia in central Appalachia. EPCAMR initially has been working with AC Power out of New York to work with them to connect them up with landowners that were identified as potentially having land available for consideration. AC Power supported EPCAMR’s initial grant to the Reclaiming Appalachia Coalition in 2020 that led to the development of our Solar Site Selection Criteria GIS Suitability Modeling Tool. EPCAMR has also been reaching out to the ARIPPA Co-Generation Industry Trade Association group in PA that is a member association because of the large tracts of land they might have available once the waste culm feedstocks are used up to generate electricity that is also placed on to the grid.

The Build Back Better framework invests $2.5 billion for planning and installing solar facilities and
community solar projects that serve low-income households or multi-family affordable housing
complexes. Funding will also support development of these facilities in underserved areas and areas
with high energy burden. There are opportunities here that are unprecedented, however, we need to ultimately know what the interests are of those who own the lands that might be the most suitable for solar development. No access, limited grid connectivity, improvements that may need to be made to land, outright acquisition of property, royalties, or short or long-term lease agreements are all discussion points that will need to be on the table and taken into consideration when talking about efforts such as these. The Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act also will be allocating a significant amount of funding for abandoned mine land reclamation projects across the Commonwealth over the next 13 years that might help to prepare future sites for solar development. At a press event on December 29, 2021, EPCAMR had the chance to speak and provide examples of future clean energy alternative projects, including solar, that need to be considered as we look to the window of opportunity for federal funds to reclaim additional acreage of mine lands and leverage private sector investment for economic development throughout PA.

EPCAMR will continue to advocate for sustainable and equitable clean energy and alternative energy community economic development projects with the private sector. EPCAMR conducts education and outreach in our communities where school districts are underserved, however, our organizational capacity is limited to get to many of them without funding. We are currently working on abandoned mine reclamation projects, mine pool mapping, AMD monitoring, and mine water pollution treatment. EPCAMR builds community capacity by investing time and providing technical assistance to local leaders, our community volunteers, colleges, universities, co-generation plants, municipal officials, and regional non-profit organizations. EPCAMR is a regional organization that has established, economic development links between rural and urban coalfields, as consensus builders, and constantly are reaching out to engage the private sector and other regional non-profits.

Reimagine Appalachia, one of our national partners, allowed EPCAMR to make an announcement about the award on a call earlier this week, where many groups were from across the state and into the Ohio River Valley and southwestern PA. The announcement was well received and many folks on the call were very interested in reaching back out to EPCAMR. We asked for any leads on groups to contact and follow up with as we begin our outreach and were pleased to see that the Nature Conservancy’s Director of Nature and Economic Programs, Eriks Brolis, reached out immediately. They have done similar work in W.VA already on reclaimed mine lands with solar, have a great deal of experience in the subject, and were willing to provide us with his Pennsylvania contacts.

“This planning grant is really about building new partnerships and new coalitions in the solar market realm. Developers may have questions and concerns about locating on formerly reclaimed abandoned mine lands and we’d like to help them get the answers they need to determine if projects might be feasibility or not using our suitability tool as we further develop it to accommodate for various criteria in other parts of central and western PA. We don’t have to complete a solar project in PA on abandoned mine lands, but this grant helps to start the conversation and build the capacity to see those who can become stakeholders and get a seat at the table and have an open dialogue on the subject. They are locating these types of projects on landfills across the country, so why not former abandoned mine lands in communities that could use the clean energy alternative and job creation and economic development potential that would come with these types of projects. We would like to see the Governor’s Office seriously consider this as a way to further diversify the PA Act of 2004 Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS) and show support for solar on reclaimed abandoned mines as they are already doing on agricultural lands. It could also lead to the discussion of locating manufacturing facilities that could be build on these former abandoned mine lands by companies that design, construct, and ultimately look to manufacture, and sell the panels here in the PA market that is seemingly untapped,” exclaimed Bobby Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director.

PennFuture, a partner of EPCAMR’s regionally, also believes that a vibrant, thriving clean energy industry is critical to our future economic success, public health and environmental sustainability. Analysts forecast $7-9 billion in viable clean energy projects are untapped across the Commonwealth. Wind and solar are the cheapest forms of electricity generation. Regional grid operators are confident renewables, energy efficiency and battery storage can combine to ensure reliable electricity supply while actually lowering overall energy prices. They have a great fact sheet on clean energy and natural climate solutions in PA, which includes solar.

Governor Tom Wolf, in March of 2021, announced his major clean energy initiative that would produce nearly 50 percent of state government’s electricity through seven new solar energy arrays totaling 191-megawatts to be built around the Commonwealth. Part of the Governor’s GreenGov initiative, Pennsylvania PULSE (Project to Utilize Light and Solar Energy) will be going into operation on January 1, 2023. The project is the largest solar commitment by any government in the U.S. announced to date.

The post The Just Transition Fund Awards EPCAMR $25K Planning and Outreach Grant to Reach New Partners in the Solar Markets to Discuss Future Development Opportunities on Reclaimed Abandoned Mine Lands in PA Coalfield Communities appeared first on epcamr.org.

EPCAMR Mobile Solar Kiln Wins 1st Place Award from NCAC

Bobby Hughes — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 00:40:40 +0000

EPCAMR’s “Mobile Solar Kiln for Processing and Recycling Oxides from AMD” project recently won 1st Place and a $500 donation at the Non-Profit Community Assistance Center (NCAC) Annual Community Awards Dinner on June 11, 2015 at the Hilton Hotel in Scranton, PA. This dinner was a wonderful opportunity for EPCAMR to network with regional community foundations and highlight our organization’s mission and accomplishments. EPCAMR was nominated in the Environmental Action category. EPCAMR is the first nonprofit organization in the Anthracite Region to design and construct the first solar-powered kiln for drying oxides found in Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD).

In 2012, EPCAMR built a large mobile kiln for demonstration purposes in environmental education programs to showcase how oxides can be recycled from AMD. Funds were donated to EPCAMR by the Wilkes-Barre Area School District after the kiln construction to continue to use at other local school districts. This kiln and another smaller kiln, built for the Solomon-Plains Elementary School, has allowed EPCAMR to educate elementary students across the EPCAMR Region. The reason for the design was due to the need for a more efficient way of drying metal oxides collected from local mine drainage that is then utilized for education programs to make AMD Tie-Dye t-shirts, Iron oxide chalk, and paint pigment and wood stain for local artists. This project brings EPCAMR a bit off the grid by reducing the utilization of a soil oven, which consumes a fair amount of electricity to dry the oxides for only a small amount of dried oxide.

EPCAMR Program Manager, Mike Hewitt, designed a system that relieves the oven process. The solar kiln runs off of a 45-watt solar panel system and is made out of mostly recycled materials: motorcycle battery, 12 volt computer fan, single pane storm windows, T-111 wooden siding, and 2x4s. The computer fan is run by the solar panels to remove any excess moisture within the kiln. The inside of the kiln is painted black to absorb as much heat from the sun as possible. The larger kiln is approximately 4′ x 6′, with two hinged doors in the back for loading in the oxides. It rolls on wheels for easy outside access. The solar kiln can dry 8 cake pans at one time, as compared to the two cookie sheets the oven can dry at one time. Within 4 hours, on an 80 degree day, the kiln can reach an inside temperature of 120 degrees. The solar kiln can dry 40 pounds of oxides a day, as compared to 1 pound a day using the oven.

EPCAMR AMD Solar Kiln

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EPCAMR AMD Solar Kiln

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EPCAMR places hydroxides that are about 95% liquid rust into the cake pans and allows for the heat energy to dry them naturally. EPCAMR Staff, interns, and volunteers then sifts the oxide powder to remove any leaf litter or sticks and packages it up to be sold through the EPCAMR Online Store. Proceeds from the Store support our education and outreach programs as well as general operations of the organization.

The smaller solar kiln was provided to the Solomon-Plains Elementary School, who are consistently taking part in environmental programs with EPCAMR. There is a great need for environmental education for students within the Wilkes-Barre School District, who are among the lowest poverty level in Luzerne County, PA. The students can now dry and process their own oxides for when EPCAMR comes to conduct education programs. Other local schools, including Greater Nanticoke Area Elementary and Wilkes-Barre Area Elementary, have also seen the solar kiln in action.

A novelty of this project is that it uses zero use of electricity for the project, unless we produce pigments of Anthracite Red or Silverbrook Purple, which need to be dried in the soil oven after the solar kiln in order to get their darker hues. EPCAMR estimates the electricity used to power the soil oven costs approximately $120/year, just to dry the oxide from the Yellow Boy pigment to Anthracite Red. It costs EPCAMR nothing to utilize the solar kiln to dry the oxide to Yellow Boy.

AMD Pigments

The EPCAMR “Mobile Recycled Solar Kiln for Processing and Drying Oxides from AMD” project was funded by the PPL Empowering Educators Grant, in partnership with the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, PA DEP Environmental Education Program, Earth Conservancy, King’s College Environmental Club, Lowe’s, RESTORE, Appalachian Coal Country Team, Office of Surface Mining, and AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service Training for America.

The program involved EPCAMR Staff and interns from King’s College and Wilkes University assisting with the collection of oxides and construction of the solar kilns. Earth Conservancy provides us with the storage for the kiln and access to their AMD treatment systems in Nanticoke and Newport Township for oxides. The Solomon-Plains Elementary 6th grade class and their teachers participated in outdoor field tours with EPCAMR to AMD sites before utilizing the kiln. The students made AMD tie-dye t-shirts for their field trip with the dried Iron oxide they collected on a tour with EPCAMR and have made it an annual tradition that is 3 years strong. More recently, the Greater Nanticoke Area Elementary 4th and 5th grade classes got to see the solar kiln and utilized the Iron oxide from through EPCAMR’s AMD & Art Pottery Education program. Ann Devine and two interns from the PA DEP Environmental Education Program conducted a Solar Race Car Construction Workshop at Solomon-Plains Elementary. Alana Malar Roberts, former PPL Community Relations Coordinator, was was also instrumental in the project.

EPCAMR’s objective was to create a demonstration piece of equipment that would provide under-served elementary school students within the Coal Region the ability to dry Iron oxide from AMD on their own. There were two goals: 1) to go off the grid and be 100% solar and 2) provide students with an opportunity to learn about AMD impacts to their watersheds and find ways to recycle the oxides into many productive uses that are fun and “green”. The benefits of this projects are that students are engaged and introduced to Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM) principles that meet the PA Standards for the Environment and Ecology.

Students gather with PPL, EPCAMR, and W-B Area School District at Leo E. Solomon Plains to receive the grant check.

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Students gather with PPL, EPCAMR, and W-B Area School District at Leo E. Solomon Plains to receive the grant check.

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Students gather with PPL, EPCAMR, and WBAD at Solomon-Plains Elementary to receive grant check

EPCAMR has always been committed to restoring Pennsylvania’s waterways impacted by AMD and abandoned mine lands. EPCAMR plans to build a 3rd solar kiln in the Fall of 2015 with the remaining materials we have left over from the project and provide it to Heights Elementary. This project educates not only students, but teachers on how schools can be a part of the solution by working with EPCAMR. They will be provided with environmental education experiences on local environmental issues that impact their community directly. They will also learn about environmental stewardship and ways they can get involved in stream-side cleanup.

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