Environmental Impact of Grids

16 June 2011 | Glasgow

Renewable energy technologies are now established and appreciated as a key means of producing electricity in a climate and environmentally friendly way. However, to transport the electricity from these new generation sites to the users, additional power lines are needed. These new lines can raise serious concerns regarding their impact on the environment, including biodiversity, ecosystems and the landscape.

The European Commission is currently working on a new legislation on permit granting procedures, to be released this fall, to ensure that the energy infrastructure needed for implementing the EU climate and energy targets will be built in time. For improving and shortening the current procedures, the way environmental impact assessments (EIA) will be carried out will be crucial. Environmental impacts of grid expansion are a legitimate concern and need to be fully understood and addressed.

For these reasons, on the 16th of June 2011, RGI organised its third workshop at the Strathclyde University of Glasgow to better understand environmental impacts of grids and to identify steps needed to enable the necessary grid expansion while safeguarding biodiversity, the environment, and citizens’ quality of life. State of the art strategic planning and environmental assessment were discussed, and innovative solutions for environmental enhancement explored.

National Grid and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) hosted the workshop.

A RGI Dinner provided an exclusive opportunity for informal talks and networking with other participants after the workshop. As a special feature, a visit of the Whitelee Windfarm, Europe’s largest windfarm, was offered on the following day.