STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT — COMPARING THE UNITED STATES AND GERMANY

GEIßLER Gesa ()
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GEIßLER Gesa: Environmental Assessment and Planning Research Group, Technische Universität Berlin, Sekr. EB 5 Straße des 17. Juni 145 10623 Berlin, Germany

Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), 2013, vol. 15, issue 02, 1-31

Abstract: Germany and the United States are amongst the leading countries regarding installed renewable energy capacity and are steadily adding new facilities. As balancing the strive for a low carbon energy supply with other environmental interests, such as biodiversity conservation, becomes more prevalent with increasing numbers of wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and hydro-power facilities, the call for a strategic-level consideration of environmental impacts (SEA) becomes louder. The paper compares the practice of SEAs for renewable energy plans, programmes, and policies in terms of discussion of alternatives, consideration of cumulative effects, and public involvement. A case study analysis compares SEAs from Germany and the United States and evaluates their performance.Results indicate large differences between both countries, with Germany performing less well on average. Therefore, a strong need for improvement becomes obvious. A general conclusion is that both countries need to become more open to strategic assessment of environmental impacts from renewable energy policies, strategies, and legislation (policy SEA), in order to allow for meaningful assessment of alternatives and achieve an environmentally sound low carbon future.

Keywords: Strategic environmental assessment; programmatic environmental impact statement; renewable energy development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1142/S1464333213400036

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