Brightfields are the result of the conversion and redevelopment of contaminated brownfield sites into land used specifically for renewable energy generation, incorporating green technology and sustainable development.
According to the EPA,
Brightfields is a revolutionary concept that addresses three of the nation’s biggest challenges — urban revitalization, toxic waste cleanup, and climate change — by bringing pollution-free solar energy and high-tech solar manufacturing jobs to brownfields.
Brownfields are unused or abandoned commercial and industrial properties that are suspected of or known to be contaminated with hazardous materials and / toxins. Through remediation and redevelopment, these properties can help to revitalize a neighborhood or even a city.
The EPA defines brownfields as:
Real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties protects the environment, reduces blight, and takes development pressures off greenspaces and working lands.
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Remediation is the process of through which a brownfield site is inspected for contamination, and where the contamination found is properly ‘addressed’ through such actions including removal — with the purpose of eliminating the exposure.