Comprehensive Guide to Eco-Friendly Mapping for Solar and Wind Energy Development in Energy Communities

Guide for Renewable Energy Development

The Energy Community Secretariat and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have created a helpful guide to find the best areas for renewable energy projects. This guide focuses on reducing environmental and social issues that can arise from these initiatives.

Called the Operational Blueprint: Designation of Renewables Acceleration Areas, it highlights key sectors like solar and onshore wind energy. These sources are expected to make a big difference in the Energy Community region’s power generation by 2030.

In December 2024, the Energy Community Ministerial Council took steps to speed up renewable energy projects. They encouraged countries to set up a legal framework that follows the updated Renewable Energy Directive (RED3), making it easier to get approvals and connect to the power grid.

The blueprint is designed to help policymakers, investors, and other stakeholders quickly grasp the idea of Renewables Acceleration Areas (RAAs) and how to implement them effectively. It includes a comparison of various priority areas based on important factors that affect sustainability.

Interestingly, a recent study highlighted that many existing wind and solar projects were built on land with high potential for conflict. About half of these installations were located in such areas, which could complicate efforts to achieve future renewable energy targets, especially in regions like the Western Balkans.

Mapping Low-Conflict Areas

The guide introduces a clear, step-by-step approach to identify low-conflict areas suitable for solar and wind projects. This method emphasizes smart site selection, aiming to balance energy needs with environmental conservation and biodiversity protection.

TNC and the Energy Community Secretariat began working together in October 2023 to enhance planning and approval processes for renewable projects. TNC has already assessed the renewable energy potential in countries like Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.

To designate RAAs effectively, countries need to organize a project team and collaborate with various stakeholders. The blueprint outlines ten essential steps for this process.

According to the revised RED, certain areas should be prioritized for designation as RAAs, including:

• Rooftops and facades of buildings
• Transport infrastructure and surrounding areas
• Parking lots
• Farms
• Waste sites
• Industrial locations
• Mines
• Artificial inland bodies of water
• Degraded land that is not suitable for agriculture

The recommendations were shaped with valuable input from the Energy Community’s Task Force on Environment and the Renewable Energy Coordination Group.