Former nuclear weapons facilities in the US are being transformed into solar farms as part of the Department of Energy’s Cleanup to Clean Energy effort. These locations, which were formerly reserved for nuclear activities, will power about 70,000 households.
A 2,800-acre solar farm with a 400-megawatt capacity will be located at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Spitfire will oversee 100 MW of solar power and an extra 500 MW of battery storage. North Renew Energy of Massachusetts has been granted a contract for 300 MW of solar power.
Some other possible locations for the programme are the following: the New Mexico Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the Nevada National Security Site, the Savannah River Site, and the Hanford site in Washington. Historical records show that these sites were never truly home to nuclear weapons. Rather, these sites were utilised for training, testing, and the production of plutonium and other nuclear weapons materials, or disposal.
The US Energy Secretary, Jennifer Granholm, states, “Working closely with community leaders and private sector partners, we’re cleaning up land once used in our nuclear deterrence programmes and deploying the clean energy solutions we need to help save the planet and strengthen our energy independence.”
