Steel Markets

Green Energy Transforms Bethlehem Steel Site

July 15, 2014

The old Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna, NY, is getting repurposed to produce green energy. The site, considered a “brownfield” due to its former use for industrial purposes and its contaminated ground, will become one of the largest solar farms in New York State.

The “Steel Sun” project will add 13,000 solar panels to the area that is already home to 14 wind turbines at the Steel Winds wind farm. The 3 x 5 foot solar panels will cover the equivalent area of 69 tennis courts. The combined panels will have a capacity of 4 megawatts per year (equivalent to the energy production of two wind turbines) and produce enough solar energy to power around 650 homes.

The combination of wind farm and solar energy creates a more reliable energy grid according to Lynda Schneekloth, University of Buffalo professor emeritus in Architecture and Planning.

“The wind is active late at night and, of course, the sun is active mostly during the day, so you are starting to get a 24-hour cycle of energy available, which makes it more reliable,” said Schneekloth in a Buffalo News article. “That’s a big concern for people, to make sure the energy grid is reliable. That’s a great advantage in producing wind and solar energy at the same site.”

Bethlehem Steel was closed in 1983 and has been mostly cleared since then. Slag, leftover from the steelmaking process, has been recycled to use for soil remediation. One foot of cover by soil, vegetative soil or slag is required by the Department of Environmental Conservation. The solar panels will be anchored in concrete on the slag bed which provides drainage and low maintenance for the solar panel field.

The 1100 acres of the former Bethlehem Steel plant is owned by Tecumseh Redevelopment, Inc. The Steel Sun project will be managed by BQ Energy which was also a partner in the Steel Winds project.

(Source: Buffalo News)