Gary is studying solar farms for Emerson and Lew Wallace school sites
Imagine a solar farm on the grounds of Emerson School or on the vacant lands at the now demolished Lew Wallace School. Imagine more solar farms at other sites around the city.
All were part of the conversation at the Gary Solar Energy Planning Conference for the opening of a 2-day information session (June 11-12) hosted by the City of Gary and FAITH CDC.
Both are recipients of grants, with a combined total of $34 million, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar for All Fund. Providing them with technical assistance in the early stages of deploying their projects is a team from the National Renewable Energy Lab, an agency within the U.S. Department of Energy.
FAITH CDC, the community development arm of Progressive Community Church, has proposed that it and the city acquire 2-3 abandoned school properties; and build solar farms, which could provide backup power to critical buildings in case of a natural disaster or power outage.
A solar farm at the Emerson school site would provide backup electrical power to 5 priority buildings –city hall, fire and police headquarters, Methodist Hospital, and the Hudson Campbell Fitness Center.
The solar grants are structured for 5 years. This first year, the projects are undergoing feasibility studies. In order to get funding for the next year, project milestones have to be met.
“Just because you have a really interesting idea does not mean that, in practice, it can be implemented,” said Alexis Myers, Technical Lead for the NREL team.
For the Emerson School solar farm, the team is determining the current energy use and projected needs of the critical buildings. “Maybe you have a solar farm, and it actually doesn’t even provide enough energy to power those buildings up. So that was one thing that we have had to figure out,” Myers said.
The team is looking at the land at the Emerson site to determine how much of it can be used for solar.
“You can’t just say I’m going to build a solar farm here and start running that energy. We have worked with NIPSCO to understand the utility’s interconnection rules,” Myers said.
By seeking solutions that solar could provide for current energy problems, like power outages and natural disasters, “We can ask what are the gaps in our community and how do we plan for that in the future,” said Brenda Scott-Henry, Director of Gary’s Office of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs.
“And then, how can we begin to look at Gary as a whole? How do we start shifting our thinking to what Gary will look like in the next 10 years, in the next 15 years?” Scott-Henry said.
Separate from the project on former school sites, the City of Gary has an EPA grant to construct residential solar farms on 3 brownfields. Scott-Henry said the vacant land on east 21st Avenue, once home to the Bear Brand Hosiery factory and other unused industrial and commercial properties are identified as brownfields. Solar farms are one way of returning those lands to productive use.
Last week’s information session was the third this year; all were held at the Gary Public Library & Cultural Center. “We have to get the word out to more people to come and participate in these events, so that we can get good information that we can incorporate into future planning for the city,” Scott-Henry said.