This document discusses the environmental and social impacts of various renewable energy projects and the need for assessment of these impacts. It covers issues like waste from photovoltaic panels, impacts on birds from wind farms, competition for biomass resources, effects on indigenous peoples, land and water use requirements, impacts on livelihoods, and the need for policies and regulations to properly assess sustainability. The document argues that environmental and social considerations must be inclusively addressed in project financing.

1. Environmental and Social
Assessment of Renewable Energy
Projects
Prasad Modak
Environmental Management Centre
www.emcentre.com

2. Do we need environmental and social
assessment of RE projects?
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3. What happens to the End of Like of PV Panels
PV CYCLE INITIATIVE
In EU, there will be 35,000 tonnes of PV waste by 2020.
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4. Wind farms and Birds
• Barrier effect – collisions
• Habitat separation – degradation
• Noise
• Change in Migratory path, Mating
• EU directives, Natura 2000 sites (26000 in 27
countries), Siting Guidelines, SEA and EIA
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5. Important Bird Areas and work done by
Bombay Natural History Society
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6. Biomass based Projects
• Biomass cultivation (water, technology)
• Biomass collection (transportation)
• Competition (fodder, charcoal)
• Ecological change – biodiversity related impacts
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7. Indigenous Peoples
Community Engagement & Involvement
Training, Benefit Sharing
Linking Corporate Social Responsibility
New Business Models, Micro-finance
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8. Land Requirements
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20006361-54.html
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9. Biofuels and Land Use Impacts
The report, Anticipated Indirect Land Use Change Associated
with Expanded Use of Biofuels and Bioliquids in the EU – An
Analysis of the National Renewable Energy Action Plans,
concludes that between 4.1 and 6.9 million hectares of
additional land will need to be cropped due to the increasing
conventional biofuels demand, set out in national plans.
This would lead to additional annual emissions of between 27
and 56 million tonnes of CO2 between 2011 and 2020,
associated with land conversion.
In the US, RE Projects coming up on Contaminated Lands,
Waste Lands
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10. Water Requirements Liters/MWHr
• Solar Tower
• Recirculating 1900-2800
• Hybrid 340 - 950
• Air Cooled 340
• Parabolic Trough
• Recirculating 3000 Coal 1520 -2850
• Hybrid 380 – 1700
• Air cooled 300
• Solar Dish – mirror washing 76
• Linear Fresnel
• Recirculating 3800
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11. Livelihoods
• Impact of Energy Access
• Expanding Financing Envelopes for
“downstream” investments – especially in off-
grid situations e.g. finance not just wind mill
but cold storage facility for the fishermen
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12. Policy, Regulations and Assessment
Requirements
• Project EIA (EA related Governance – e.g. in India
MoEF EIA Notification)
• Need for Sustainability Appraisal (Economic,
Environmental and Social)
• Siting Guidelines – e.g. addressing bird areas
• Policies on protecting biodiversity, maintaining
buffers, ensuring community interests
• Addressing Waste Disposal End of Life
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13. Making Environmental & Social
Considerations
Inclusive in Financing

14. Thank you
prasad.modak@emcentre.com