Inovateus Solar opens solar farm on former Indiana superfund site
Inovateus Solar recently opened a solar farm, consisting of 21,000 solar panels, on the former Continental Steel Superfund site in Kokomo, Indiana.
Senior officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the city of Kokomo and Inovateus Solar recently participated in
ribbon-cutting ceremony and a tour of the 29-acre farm.
“Thanks to an effective and collaborative federal, state and local partnership, we’ve been able to transform this vacant, blighted land into a powerhouse providing energy to Kokomo residents,” EPA Acting
Superfund Director Margaret Guerriero said. “Soccer fields and solar energy are turning this former superfund site green.”
The EPA completed a cleanup of contaminated soil and sediments at the site in 2011, which formerly hosted a Continental Steel facility where scrap metal was used to manufacture nails, wiring and fencing. Groundwater cleanup is still ongoing.
After competition of the cleanup, the EPA turned the property over to the city of Kokomo and provided a $100,000 superfund development grant. The city selected Inovateus Solar to develop and construct a solar system on the land. The 60-acre Wildcat Creek Soccer Complex is under developed on another part of the site. The complex will include 30 youth and full-size soccer fields, a walking trail, concessions, restrooms, storage and parking.
“We are happy to partner with Inovateus to continue Kokomo’s trend of transforming underutilized sites into assets,” Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight said. “This project has been years in the making, and started when the area underwent a cleanup effort. The transformation from contaminated Superfund site to solar farm has been inspiring and a win for all involved.”
