News Energy
Who makes room for sustainable energy?
Green energy is essential, but should not be at the expense of nature. Nature organizations are bringing this statement to the attention in a letter to the responsible ministers. Where is there room for 11.000 hectares of solar panels and hundreds of windmills?
More than a year ago, the Dutch Climate Agreement was presented, containing plans to drastically reduce CO2 emissions. One of the components is that 30 so-called energy regions are investigating where and how best sustainable energy can be generated on land. Now that these contours are becoming visible, nature reserves have been identified on a large scale as possible installation locations for solar panels and wind turbines.
This leads to great frustration at organizations such as Natuurmonumenten and Vogelbescherming Nederland. “We couldn't make a worse choice. Nature, landscape and biodiversity in our country are already under enormous pressure.' Nature organizations sent at the end of August a joint letter to the ministers Wiebes (Economic Affairs and Climate) and Ollongren (Internal Affairs). The message is clear: 'Green energy that is at the expense of nature is not green.'
Area needed for sun and wind
A significant portion of the renewable energy required under the Climate Agreement must be generated on land. For 100% wind energy, this would involve 400 to 600 large wind turbines (100 to 200 meters high) or 750 to 1.000 smaller wind turbines. At 100% solar energy, it would amount to 9.000 to 13.500 hectares of solar panels. 'With the enormous pressure on space in the Netherlands, that is not an easy task', write the nature organizations.
Nobody seems to want a windmill or solar park in their backyard. 'The risk of this is that a flight to the front is initiated by designating (protected) nature as construction sites. Nature as a drain', write the organizations. They make an urgent appeal to the government to avoid natural areas as much as possible as a location for the generation of energy. Places where a lot of human activity already takes place can be better combined with sustainable energy. This includes roofs, industrial estates and along highways.
Smart function combinations
In addition, nature organizations want the government to map out the effects of the current plans on natural values and that this is heavily considered. Careful considerations and smart function combinations are necessary, according to them. 'For example, we see opportunities for climate buffers in combination with sustainable energy. But also think of natural land water transitions in the IJsselmeer area. That is in the interest of special plants and animals, and therefore in the interest of all of us.'
Agricultural share
The question is whether valuable agricultural land is therefore also seen as potential locations for housing wind and solar parks. The fact is that Dutch farmers have an increasingly important share in generating solar energy, either on land or on roofs. Last year was a increase of 50% can be seen in the generated solar energy compared to 2018.
This trend will continue in the coming years. So far, 2020% more solar energy has been generated throughout the Netherlands (not only by agricultural entrepreneurs) in 50 than in the same period in 2019. This is apparent from recent data from Energieopwek.nl. Together with wind energy, solar energy now provides almost 20% of the Dutch electricity demand.
Jeanette Pennings
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