POWER September 2020 - 27

TOP PLANT
1. Inovateus ensured that the solar installation
would not disturb the soil cap by working
with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
to design an above-ground, ballasted racking
foundation for the Schletter FS Uno fixed-tilt
solar racking system. The ballasts ensured that
the soil cap would not be penetrated by a typical
racking foundation. Courtesy: Inovateus Solar
transmission infrastructure.
■ Having a community that has a high
demand for energy.
■ Having a community, utility, and municipality/county
" on the same page "
and supportive of having the land devoted
to renewable energy instead of
some other purpose.
Kanczuzewski said the former Continental
Steel site provided a perfect opportunity
for Inovateus to embark on its
first brownfield project.
" For the surrounding area, it meant
repurposing and revitalizing valuable land
that had been an eyesore and underutilized
for decades, " he told POWER. " The
city took advantage of existing infrastructure,
helped transition their power generation
to renewable energy, and taxpayers
will benefit by receiving $36,000 a year
for leasing the site for the solar project. "
Years of Cleanup
The EPA and IDEM spent several years
cleaning up the site that housed the
steel plant after placing it on the Superfund
program's NPL in 1989. The EPA in
a case study said " Improper materials
handling and waste disposal practices
and regular facility operations at the 183acre
site resulted in extensive contamination
of soil, sediments, surface water
and groundwater with volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) and several metals,
including lead, arsenic, cadmium and
chromium. Sampling also detected lead
contamination in some nearby residential
soils. " The EPA and IDEM removed
and treated contaminated soils, oil, and
buried drums, and also decontaminated
an abandoned chemical laboratory and
dredged the lagoon and creek areas.
The EPA said the $40 million cleanup
was completed in 2011. The city then
September 2020 | POWER
took control of the site, and the solar
project began with a proposal to the city
for the site's redevelopment. Preliminary
engineering was begun in 2014. Pre-construction
activities commenced in June
2016, and the solar array was substantially
completed in December 2016.
The EPA and IDEM helped the developers
understand the cleanup process,
to address concerns about the site's
Superfund status. The agencies laid out
how Inovateus and Alterra could adapt
their approach to fit with remedial constraints
on the property.
Part of the site's remedy is a 24-inch
soil cap. A restrictive covenant limits
operator liability as long as the cap is
maintained and any work on the site is
pre-approved. As part of the approval
process, the developers had to ensure
the solar project would not disturb a section
of the soil cap with the rack's piles.
If they did, Inovateus would be required
to leave the posts in the soil after decommissioning.
Inovateus Solar worked with
the EPA to design a fixed-tilt ballasted
racking foundation (Figure 1) for the solar
panels that allowed the racks to be
installed above ground, minimizing their
impact on the cap and avoiding permanently
installing the piles at the site.
" Kokomo Solar 1 was another pioneering
project for the company, the City of Kokomo,
and Indiana, " said John Gulanick, director of
project management for Inovateus Solar. " We
all had to learn about the technical challenges
of developing brightfields at a Superfund Site,
complex regulations, and the national and local
requirements. So, for Inovateus, Kokomo's
successful completion is an example of how
we are genuinely living by our mission statement
and our brand promise. "
'Building a Brilliant Tomorrow'
Companies involved with the project,
along with Inovateus and Alterra (now
Innergex), included Indiana-based firms
Heartland Solutions, which served as the
engineering, procurement, and construction
lead, and 1st Source Bank, which
provided construction financing.
" Inovateus mission is to 'Build a Brilliant
Tomorrow,' and our brand promise
is to 'Invest in your energy future.' These
aren't just words, " said Kanczuzewski.
" Our team is truly committed to building
sustainable solar energy projects that
benefit our customers and communities
today and in the future. "
Gulanick said Kokomo Solar 1 is a
model for other Inovateus projects, as
the company continues to build solar
installations benefiting residential, and
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POWER POINTS
Winning Attributes
✔ Sustainability. Inovateus saw
the opportunity to develop an
abandoned Superfund site and
repurpose it to generate sustainable
solar power.
✔ Local Leadership. At the time of
construction, Kokomo Solar 1 was
the second-largest solar installation
in Indiana, and the first in the
Kokomo community.
✔ Environmental Design. To gain
approval, Inovateus had to ensure
a portion of the solar installation
would not disturb the soil cap that
was part of the site's environmental
remediation. Inovateus worked with
the EPA to design a cement racking
foundation for the solar panels
that could be securely installed
on top of the cap. The alternative
would have been to permanently
leave the posts in the ground after
decommissioning. This solution
demonstrated a commitment to
sustainability and building projects
with minimal waste and impacts to
the environment and community.
✔ Community Involvement. Developing
and building a solar power plant
needs cooperation from the
community, and a solar brightfield
requires even more commitment.
Starting in 2014, Inovateus
collaborated with the EPA, IDEM,
the City of Kokomo, financiers, and
local residents to get the project
designed, financed, and approved
by all stakeholders.
commercial and industrial customers.
" Absolutely [it's a model], " said Gulanick.
" It was our first brownfield project,
and we learned some valuable lessons.
We now have a dedicated brownfield
team that hold key OSHA [Occupational
Safety and Health Administration] certifications
for developing Superfund sites.
Since Kokomo, we've been involved in
the development of two more 'brightfield'
sites-brownfields that are developed
with solar farms. We also have
several more potential sites that we are
looking at for future development. " ■
-Darrell Proctor is associate
editor for POWER.
27
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POWER September 2020

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