An environmentally sustainable expansion therefore aims to meet society’s energy needs whilst minimising the impact on nature and the environment as far as possible, and to reconcile these needs with the requirements of environmental protection and nature conservation. This requires an approach that comprehensively addresses the environmental sustainability of the expansion of renewable energy, taking into account climate protection targets and the objectives of the energy transition, as well as the needs and protection of animals, people and plants.
Monitoring der Naturverträglichkeit des Ausbaus der erneuerbaren Energien im Strombereich („EEMonReport“); Endbericht zum Forschungsvorhaben: „Umsetzungsmöglichkeiten eines Monitorings zur Berücksichtigung der Anforderungen von Natur und Landschaft beim Ausbau der erneuerbaren Energien und Netze im Strombereich“. Daniela Thrän, David Manske, Nora Mittelstädt, Björn Schinkel, Bonn, 2024, BfN-Schrift 683
The publication begins with a survey of monitoring systems and online tools, in order to highlight the unique features and overlaps of the EE-Monitor web application. The EE-Monitor’s monitoring system is based on six so-called target areas, which identify the aspects of renewable energy expansion relevant to nature conservation, such as the ‘expansion close to consumption’ target area. Forty-one indicators are assigned to the target areas; these provide a data-driven description of the environmental compatibility of the expansion of renewable energy by technology over time, e.g. ‘distance of wind turbines from protected areas’. The BfN publication also documents the data set specific to each indicator, as well as the technical development and structure of the web application. The functionalities and respective visualisations are set out in detail in the form of a handbook.
EEMonitor Update:
The EE-Monitor’s WebGIS lists all location and area data for renewable energy sources as at December 2022.