Environmental studies in the Department of Energy´s renewable energy programs

All forms of energy production interact with the environment and this is particularly true for the renewable energy sources because the dilute energy content of the sources demands large-scale deployment of a technology to make an appreciable contribution to the UK´s energy needs. Within the Department of Energy´s renewable energy programme the constraints surrounding implementation of each of the technologies is being studies from two aspects: factors which limit exploitation of the resource in general (site availability); and site specific effects arising from the operation of a renewable energy plant. These aspects are inter-linked to some extent and do not relate equally to all the renewable sources. Examples of such studies for five renewable sources are discussed: refuse in landfill sites; short rotation energy forestry; wind energy; tidal barrages; and geothermal hot dry rocks