Interaction with other Sectors |
If a planned renewable energy system will involve material emissions, the local prior load must be determined in advance of the project's implementation (e.g., condition of recipient water in conjunction with wastewater-producing processes).
In addition to the effects of renewable energy utilization listed in section 2, such secondary effects are also important. Apart from the project's consequences for the basic needs of certain sections of the population, its possible impacts on agriculture, water supplies, transportation and diverse aftereffects must also be accounted for (whereas allowance must be made for the fact that improving the supply of energy to or within a given region can have practically identical consequences for the sectors in question):
The loss of farmland alters the food market structure and/or necessitates the agricultural utilization of formerly more or less "virgin" areas. For additional information, the reader is referred to the environmental briefs on agriculture (e.g., Plant Production).
Any more intensive use of water resources naturally involves higher rates of water consumption, larger volumes of wastewater and, hence, changes in the water regimen. That, in turn, affects the soil, the microclimate, the composition of the microsystem, and the hygienic situation (salinization, spread of pathogens; cf. environmental briefs Rural Water Supply, Rural Hydraulic Engineering Large-scale Hydraulic Engineering, Water Framework Planning.
Increased traffic due to transportation in connection with large-scale renewable energy applications (or simply attributable to an improved energy supply situation) necessitates more and better traffic infrastructure. Its provision, in turn, has primary and secondary development effects; cf. environmental briefs Road Traffic, Transport and Traffic Planning. The general environmental impacts of renewable energy exploitation systems are discussed in the environmental brief Overall Energy Planning.