The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is taking steps to convert sites of former nuclear weapons programs into clean energy projects, starting with an 8,000-acre area of the Hanford Site in Washington state, Electrek reports.
In July 2023, the administration announced its Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative, which aims to convert 35,000 acres of federal lands at five locations into clean energy generation facilities. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm outlined the overall plan in a statement.
“Through the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative, the Department of Energy will repurpose areas previously used to protect our national security for the same purpose – this time to produce clean energy that will help save the planet and protect our energy independence.”
As Electrek notes, the current plan for Hanford is to build a 1-gigawatt solar farm at the site in partnership with Hecate Energy. At the same time, workers are testing methods to speed up the removal of radioactive waste, with the goal of starting to ship the waste for safe disposal in 2025.
By installing a solar plant, the government can begin rehabilitating the polluted land while also adding sustainable energy to the grid. This is in line with the global trend of investing more in clean energy rather than dirtier sources, and with the additional capacity, the overall cost per megawatt will be reduced.
Solar power is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources in the U.S., supported by major capacity expansions and tax incentives. Enough solar projects are planned to increase utility-scale capacity to 131 gigawatts by the end of this year, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Coal-fired power plants across the country are part of this growth. Many are being converted to solar farms, while others are becoming battery storage to balance supply and demand.
Some commenters praised the work at the Hanford Site but remained cautiously skeptical. One said, “Seems like a good/smart reuse of otherwise unusable land, assuming it can be done and maintained safely.”
Plans to expand green developments will have positive impacts on both the environment and the economy, Granholm said in the report.
“The Department of Energy is transforming thousands of acres of land at our Hanford site into a thriving zero-carbon solar power generation center, setting a strong example when it comes to cleaning up our environment and providing new economic opportunities for local communities.”
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