B) WIND-PARKS IN WESTERN CATALONIA: WHERE AND HOW Introduction In the last decade the renewable energies, and specially wind energy, have had a big impulse by the authorities. It is presented as one of the strategies to confront global warming and to accomplish the Kyoto Protocol. Wind is produced by the temperature and pressure differences in the atmosphere. Up to 100 metres over the earth surface wind is very influenced by the geography. In this way, coastal lines, hillsides oriented to the south (oriented to the north in the southern hemisphere), open lands, etc. present generally favourable conditions to install wind-farms. Even the green image wind energy has, it is not difficult to find unfavourable positions regarding the installation of wind-farms. This opposition can be due the extensive land use of wind-parks, their possible impacts on birds or their visual impact, as well as NIMBY behaviour. Also the process to decide the location of the wind turbines is a source of conflict; furthermore, it can be found depth differences in the energy model proposed by different actors. This case study tries to put in practice a real-world social process of decision making that include several visions in designing, locating and evaluating wind-park alternative location sites. This has been done applying social multi-criteria evaluation. The following main tools have been used: 9 participative experiences to identify actors, their aims and perspectives, 9 a socio-technical process, based on actors’ preferences, of construction of alternatives and elicitation of evaluation criteria, and 9 a technical evaluation of different alternatives with a constant feedback with the social actors involved. Through this process it is pretended to structure the problem facilitating the access to the information of the possible impacts of the alternatives, in a way that the authorities, the public and the promoters of the wind-parks may find a compromise solution, i.e. a balance between technical aspects with socio-economic and environmental impacts. The Catalonia Energy Plan The implementation of wind-parks is inserted in the Catalonia Energy Plan for the year 2010, and it deals with the following issues: 9 It analyses the current consumption of renewable energy and the potential production for the year 2010. 9 It develops a model to evaluate projects in an economic and technical way, and 9 It states the goals of energy production from renewable energy sources, for the year 2010. The plan also makes a prospective study of the renewable energy technologies, and explores the barriers (technological and non-technological) for its implementation. Present use of renewable energies The total amount of production of electricity, coming from renewable sources, has reached 4’920 GWh in year 2000, representing the 12.9% of the gross electricity 1 production. Figure 1 shows the actual distribution of renewable energy uses in Catalonia for year 2000. Evaluation of the potential of renewable energy sources This evaluation was made based in a Solar Wind model called REGIS (based on GIS). This 1,4% Forest and heating model associates specific data related to farming 0,2% renewable energies (hydroelectric centrals, biomass 17,2% solar installations census, solar radiation, Biogas wind atlas, etc.) and the territory 1,1% (edification, water courses, natural interest Urban and spaces, forest, communication ways, etc.), solid Hydraulic waste allowing to do an integrated analysis of four 62,7% types of renewable energies: solar, 17,4% hydraulic, wind and biomass energies. The REGIS model is able to simulate Figure 1. Distribution of renewable energy uses in scenarios in concrete zones, and it gives the year 2000. information of energy production, primary (Source: Catalonia Renewable Energy Plan) energy saving and emissions of CO2 and SO2 that can be avoided. Wind energy The analysis of this kind of energy is done focusing on large scale energy production, and promoting the installation of wind equipment in isolated zones. The energy production from wind reached 103.7 GWh in the year 2000, having a power utilization index of 22%, i.e. 1’925 equivalent functioning hours a year. The wind energy has a participation of 0.27% of the total amount of electricity produced in the year 2000 in Catalonia. The main energy source for electricity production is the nuclear energy, which contributes with a 62.3%. The combined cycle power plants generate 17.7% and an 11.9% comes from hydroelectric plants. The eolic atlas This atlas was made in 1988 (Figure 2), and it has been used measurement points every 278 km2, 60 times the European map intensity. From this map it is clear to see two windy zones, in the Northern and Southern of Catalonia, and only the 2.6% of the territory having wind speeds over 6 m/s. It is important to say that this tool is only for orientation purposes. In order to project a windpark it is necessary to make specific measures. Figure 2. Eolic map of Catalonia (Source: Catalonia Renewable Energy Plan) 2 Environmental criteria to install wind parks The Catalonia Renewable Energy Plan considers, on the one hand, as environmental impacts related to wind-parks the following aspects: visual impact, noise, and impact over fauna (temporal displacement of animals and birds collisions). It also says that an environmental impact assessment is needed to approve the installations. On the other hand, it declares the Natural Interest Spaces (natural parks) as non compatible territories with windparks. Figure 3 presents a “traffic-lights” map showing the compatibility of windfarms with certain zones of Catalonia. However, the Catalonian government claims that there are no objective criteria to Incompatible zone evaluate the implementation of windparks yet. Conditioned zone Consequently, local criteria normally prevail Figure 3. Map of theCompatible implementation zone of the wind energy in Catalonia over global criteria, and the political and Source: Gencat. administrative structure of Spain fosters this situation. Future projections These projections were made based in two future scenarios developed in Gencat (2000). The BASE scenario considers the actual trends and the other one (IER) considering positive outcomes from different actions oriented to promote renewable energy development (see Table 1). The IER scenario projects to go from 103.7 GWh produced by means of wind-parks in the year 2000, to 2’360.4 GWh in the year 2010 (with 1.073 MW of installed capacity). This means to raise the wind participation up to 4.7% of the total amount of produced electricity by the year 2010. Table 1. Proposed measurements in the wind field of the Renewable Energy Plan. (Source: Catalonia Renewable Energy Plan) Actions of the Renewable energy plan Definition of the administrative procedure of electric connection Normative development to regulate small installations To maintain the actual incentive regime To support the implementation of wind technologies of low power To follow the environmental and socioeconomic impact of wind parks Diffusion campaign of wind energy Direct support to the investment To define or promote the construction of electric infrastructure To go with wind park projects To participate in investment of wind parks Thirds financing Credit of low interest taxes The plan identifies some barriers to reach the proposed objectives. First of all, the insufficient infrastructure to evacuate the electricity is seen as an important obstacle1. Some not defined issues that can stop or delay some initiatives in the plan’s frame are: 1 For example, 10 kilometres of high voltage electric lines (220 kV) costs 780.000 €. 3 9 The retributions in the special regime of electric generation, 9 The duration of this regime, and 9 The uncertain price of the electricity. Finally, the plan stands that some ‘objective’ criteria are needed to establish the conditions to implement wind parks because the social rejection to them. But, as it will be seen below, it is very difficult to set up objective evaluation criteria. The situation under study Selecting the case study On February 23th, 2003, some associations and citizens platforms have met with some professors in the Centre of Environmental Studies (now called Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technologies – ICTA), in the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). The aim of this meeting was to discuss about the wind-parks projected in the areas called Serra del Vilobí, Coma de Bertran and Serra del Tallat2, and to have a first approach to new evaluation methodologies that allow to consider not only economic indicators. These associations and platforms are not unique in Catalonia. Around the wind-parks issue there are many groups of people, with several positioning regarding the implementations of wind-farms.The interest of the citizens about the issue of wind energy has been rising in the last time, maybe because the increase of submitted wind-farm projects has revealed the people’s perception of an unequal territorial distribution. In the same time our team from UAB, started to look for a situation where energy projects (based on renewable energy sources) face social rejection. This task was made mainly by means of newspapers review and contacts with some social groups. Given the contacts made in the workshop of February, two projects were chosen. These projects present some desired characteristics for our research in the MCDA-RES project like the followings: 9 There was a conflict around renewable energy sources, 9 There were several positions regarding the construction of the wind-parks, 9 There is an important press coverage of the conflict regarding the size of the towns involved, 9 The small size of the tows involved makes easier to carry out a participation process, The first approaches After selecting the cases to be studied, some actors from the Coordinadora per la defensa de la terra - Urgell, Conca de Barberà, Segarra, Garrigues – 3 were contacted to have a better understanding of their position concerning the windparks.