Sustainability in exchange for land? The territorial imprint of the electricity generation

Authors

  • Joan López Redondo

Keywords:

Electricity, energy, land taken up, environmental impact, Catalonia

Abstract

The energy transition towards renewable and less pollutant sources involves
remarkable challenges. Among them, and usually less considered, is the challenge arising
from the need for land for new generating facilities. This study analyses the question based on
the case for producing electrical energy in Catalonia, which has undergone two large
transformations over the last few decades. Firstly, the increase in production, which has
practically doubled so that at present more than 45,000 GWh a year are generated in Catalonia, 16% of Spain’s total. Secondly, the emergence of new forms of generation, mostly based on the use of renewable sources. Apart from the undeniable benefits of this second transformation, it cannot be denied that its introduction has involved a high use of land. To analyse this impact, the present work identifies and deals briefly with the existing electricity generating facilities in Catalonia and compares them with those in existence twenty-five years ago. Results show how so far the transition towards an energy model based on renewable electricity generation sources has tended to locate new facilities away from the main consumer spending centres and has doubled the area of land that they occupy.

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Published

2017-12-17

How to Cite

López Redondo, J. (2017). Sustainability in exchange for land? The territorial imprint of the electricity generation. Ciudad Y Territorio Estudios Territoriales, 49(194), 629–644. Retrieved from https://recyt.fecyt.es/index.php/CyTET/article/view/76586

Issue

Vol. XLIX, núm. 194 (2017)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2017 Joan López Redondo

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