Challenges of future energy landscapes in Germany — a nature conservation perspective

Abstract

Background: The energy transition in Germany is characterized by a rapid growth of renewable energy and infrastructure. In order to reduce the impact of humans on the climate system, a more ambitious development of renewable energies is needed. In addition, nature and natural resources must be protected. At the same time, the increasing use of renewable energies leads to impacts on nature conservation aspects, in particular on landscapes, species, and habitats. Therefore, renewable energy systems also affect the protection of biodiversity. Conflicting objectives between the need for renewable energies and their impact on nature and landscape have to be considered equally and as early as possible. Methods: The article follows an interdisciplinary approach that combines an administrative with a research perspective. First, the energy transition as a national transformation process and challenges due to the expansion of renewable energies with regard to nature conservation and landscape management are presented. The analysis of existing literature identifies key factors for a sustainable energy transition such as land availability, landscapes, and impacts on species and habitats. Examining the most affected nature conservation aspects from an administrative perspective, we highlight selected research projects, derive future research demand, and discuss possible approaches to enhance the integration of nature conservation into the energy transition. Results: In addition to the need for climate protection efforts, the energy transition further has to preserve biological diversity, as well as characteristic features and the beauty of nature and landscape. Numerous energy transition stakeholders face the challenge of integrating nature conservation and landscape management requirements into research projects, strategic planning, and approval procedures. Based on the dynamic development of renewable energies in Germany and the objectives of nature conservation, we describe key challenges and identify future research demands from an administrative and scientific point of view. Current research projects, the impacts of renewable energy generation, and existing approaches to minimize negative effects on nature and landscape are taken into account. Conclusions: We conclude that nature conservation aspects in general (biodiversity and landscape) have to be better integrated in the energy transition. Therefore, research, technology development and preference, civil participation, a critical discussion, and academic debate are essential elements for a nature-compatible expansion of renewable energies.

Analysis of Regulatory Possibilities and Obstacles to Expand Renewable Energy and Preserve Landscape Quality in the Silesian Voivodship

“…37.5 MW in the Silesian Voivodship in December 2020. Most wind power plants were built in the northern part of the voivodship in the following rural poviats: częstochowski (10), lubliniecki (9), kłobucki (7), and in the urban poviat Częstochowa (1). In the southern part of the voivodship wind power plants are located in the raciborski (3) and gliwicki (1) rural poviats.…”

“…Transition to renewable energy sources is inseparable linked to the availability of land for renewable energy infrastructure, which require more surface area to produce an equivalent amount of power as from fossil fuels [6][7][8]. This high land demand arise negative impacts on the landscape [9]. This impact vary according to the RES type, the context and scale of development [10], the landscape type, perceived naturalness, and landscape aesthetic value [11].…”

“…This means that there is a potential risk that resources, such as the landscape and its visual representation, would become soon largely affected. In a situation where the spatial planning of renewable energy facilities is marginalized, the quality of the new type of energy landscapes and the scale of their impact will be big issues for sustainable development in terms of nature conservation and valuable landscape protection [9]. Having that perspective, there is not much time to improve provisions in Studies of Conditions and Directions of Spatial Development and other documents on local and regional level towards renewable energy development for landscape character protection and quality planning.…”

Why sufficiency? An interdisciplinary perspective

“…Environmental limits can, for example, be the availability of space (affecting e.g. biomass, synthetic fuels) or resources (Font Vivanco et al, 2018;Teubler et al, 2018) rebound-effect may compensate demand reduction (Gillingham et al, 2013;Chitnis et al, 2014); option promises continuation of economic growth but the possibility of decoupling emissions and economic growth is contested (Hickel and Kallis, 2019;Moreau et al, 2019;Guo et al, 2021) demand-side electrification with use of renewable energy option needs large additional renewable electricity capacities (IEA, 2021c;IPCC, 2018), see issues below option may suggest that energy can be used as before but is "green" (Fischer et al, 2013;Wiese et al, 2022); user conflicts about who will be able to use the renewable electricity (Levenda et al, 2021); substantial investment needs (Bellocchi et al, 2020), see also issues below for expansion of renewable energy generation expansion of renewable energy generation wind and solar availability of space (environmental constraints) and conflicts with nature conservation (Capellán-Pérez et al, 2017;Rehbein et al, 2020;Ponitka and Boettner, 2020); substantial resource needs (Kleijn and Voet, 2010); environmental damage due to resource extraction (Skowron and Fünfgelt, 2021;Martin a...…”

Energy landscapes of today and tomorrow

“…The topics included in this issue range from wind power to photovoltaic systems [1][2][3] and from biomass to bioliquids and biofuels for heat, electricity, and transport [4][5][6], (1A, 3A). They cover the entire innovation process, ranging from scientific research to innovative approaches for technology implementation and the politics of energy landscapes [5,7] edition comments on the societal debate on the benefits and risks of Germany's "Energiewende" and the conservation aspects of future energy landscapes [8,9]. Here, one important contribution deals with combined heat and power production from biomass as one way to efficiently provide renewable heat.…”