Abstract
Renewable energy will potentially make an important contribution towards the dual aims of meeting carbon emission reduction targets and future energy demand. However, some technologies have considerable potential to impact on the biodiversity of the environments in which they are placed. In this study, an assessment was undertaken of the realistic deployment potential of a range of renewable energy technologies in the UK, considering constraints imposed by biodiversity conservation priorities. We focused on those energy sources that have the potential to make important energy contributions but which might conflict with biodiversity conservation objectives. These included field-scale solar, bioenergy crops, wind energy (both onshore and offshore), wave and tidal stream energy. The spatially-explicit analysis considered the potential opportunity available for each technology, at various levels of ecological risk. The resultant maps highlight the energy resource available, physical and policy constraints to deployment, and ecological sensitivity (based on the distribution of protected areas and sensitive species). If the technologies are restricted to areas which currently appear not to have significant ecological constraints, the total potential energy output from these energy sources was estimated to be in the region of 5,547 TWh/yr. This would be sufficient to meet projected energy demand in the UK, and help to achieve carbon reduction targets. However, we highlight two important caveats. First, further ecological monitoring and surveillance is required to improve understanding of wildlife distributions and therefore potential impacts of utilising these energy sources. This is likely to reduce the total energy available, especially at sea. Second, some of the technologies under investigation are currently not deployed commercially. Consequently this potential energy will only be available if continued effort is put into developing these energy sources/technologies, to enable realisation of their full potential.
Highlights
The scientific case for climate change is well established [1], with widespread evidence indicating that terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems are already being affected [2]
There is greater than 95% certainty that the dominant cause of climate change is the anthropogenic increase in greenhouse gas emissions [1]
The majority of the UK (96.3% of the total land area) has sufficient wind resource to be suitable for harnessing wind energy (S13 Table)
Summary
The scientific case for climate change is well established [1], with widespread evidence indicating that terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems are already being affected [2]. There is greater than 95% certainty that the dominant cause of climate change is the anthropogenic increase in greenhouse gas emissions [1]. Biodiversity, human health and food security are likely to escalate [2]. This presents a strong imperative to minimise future changes in climate by reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing emissions through use of renewable energy sources can lead to environmental impacts [3]. Some impacts can be minimised through appropriate siting, design and innovation, but there may be difficult trade-offs between reducing emissions and conserving biodiversity. It is essential to understand the ecological risks of the transition to a low carbon energy system
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