Social impacts of large-scale solar thermal power plants: Assessment results for the NOORO I power plant in Morocco

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2019.109259

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

Volume 113, October 2019, 109259

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109259 Get rights and content

Highlights

•
Review of social impacts of large-scale renewable energy plants.
•
Combined participatory and technical social impact assessment approach developed and applied.
•
30 social impacts of Solar thermal plants identified.
•
Significance of impacts evaluated for eight different stakeholder groups.

Abstract

Many countries are increasingly investing in renewable energy technologies to meet growing energy demands and increase the security of their energy supply. This development is also evident in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where renewable energy targets and policies have evolved rapidly in recent years. There is a steady increase in both the number of planned and implemented solar photovoltaic (PV) but also of solar thermal projects in form of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants. Many of these installations are designed as large utility-scale systems. Despite the fact that these types of large-scale projects can have significant effects on local communities and their livelihoods, the existing research into the social impacts of such large-scale renewable energy infrastructures at local level is limited. However, assessing and managing these impacts is becoming increasingly important to reduce risks to both the affected communities and to the project and businesses activities. In order to provide more robust evidence on the local effects, this research study reviews the social impacts of large-scale renewable energy infrastructure in the MENA region based on a case study of the NOOR_O I CSP plant in Ouarzazate, Morocco. Data collected during two empirical field studies, in combination with expert interviews and secondary data analysis, provides detailed evidence on the type and significance of livelihood impacts of the NOOR₀ I CSP plant. The analysis results in a consolidated list of 30 impacts and their significance levels for different stakeholder groups including farmers, young people, women, community representatives and owners of small and medium enterprises. The results show that, overall, the infrastructure development was received positively. The review also indicates that factors identified as having effects on the sustainability of local livelihoods are mainly related to information management and benefit distribution, rather than physical or material aspects.

Introduction

In many Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries, rising energy prices, growing energy demand and food insecurity are coupled with high population growth, rapid urbanisation and high unemployment rates. This poses serious challenges for the economic and social development of the region [1]. At the same time, global and regional issues such as climate change, increasing water stress and the depletion of fossil energy resources are putting further constraints on development in these countries [2,3]. Energy aspects play a central role in many of these challenges. Although the region as a whole is known as a major supplier of energy, many countries struggle to meet growing domestic energy demand [4]. Renewable energies are increasingly seen as a key component in addressing these issues. Accordingly, many countries are progressively investing in renewable energy technologies to meet growing domestic demand and increase the security of supply.

As a consequence, in recent years renewable energy targets and policies have also evolved rapidly in the MENA region. The development of solar power in particular has increasingly received attention, resulting in a high number of planned and implemented photovoltaic (PV) and (to a more limited extent) solar thermal projects in the form of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants [5]. CSP systems are typically planned as utility-scale installations. Utility-scale solar can make a significant contribution to meeting ambitious renewable energy targets and to facilitating a rapid increase in energy supply security [6]. Further anticipated advantages are greater economic and technical efficiency and integration.

In addition to these benefits, large-scale infrastructure developments are also known for their potential to significantly impact on the surrounding communities [7]. These social impacts need to be carefully assessed and managed to reduce project risks and ensure that both the local communities and the project and businesses activities benefit from the developments [8]. In the context of the so-called Arab Spring movements in the MENA region, it is essential to ensure that investment in renewable energy infrastructure takes the needs of the local population into account.

Although numerous studies have driven the recent surge in CSP investment by promising multiple social, economic, environmental and even geopolitical benefits at the macro level, discussions about whether these potential effects also translate into benefit at local level have been limited. In comparison to other large-scale infrastructure projects, research on the impacts of large-scale renewable energy infrastructure on local livelihoods is scarce [9]. According to Munday et al. [10], there has been remarkably little empirical investigation into the localised rural development implications of the large-scale deployment of renewable technologies. This is despite the fact that, like any other large-scale infrastructure investment, renewable energy infrastructures such as CSP plants have the potential to impact neighboring communities well beyond the economic dimensions of employment and income generation. Consequently, in order to achieve sustainable development, it is important to take not only technological and regulatory questions into account when planning the scale-up of CSP in MENA countries, but also to consider the local livelihood dimension. Currently, however, many uncertainties remain about the wide array of tangible and non-tangible effects of large-scale deployment of CSP technology at local level.

Addressing this research gap, the SocialCSP project [11] analysed the local impacts of large-scale renewable energy infrastructures in the MENA region, based on the case study of the NOOR_O I CSP plant in Ouarzazate, Morocco. The main objectives of this study were to improve the understanding of the complex relationships between large-scale CSP plants and the livelihoods of people living in the communities in which they are sited. The results of this study, specifically the two assessment steps – impact identification and determination of impact significance – are presented in this paper. Section 2 outlines the state-of-the-art of assessing impacts of large-scale energy infrastructure projects, followed by background information on the analyzed case study (Section 3). Details on the applied social impact assessment approach and the data sources are presented in Section 4. In Section 5, the results – in the form of the identified impacts and the significance of these impacts for different stakeholder groups and from an expert perspective – are described. Finally, Section 6 presents concluding remarks.

Section snippets

Assessing the social impacts of renewable energy infrastructure

There is a wide range of literature addressing the question of public and social acceptance of renewable energy infrastructure (e.g. [[12], [13], [14], [15]]), but the actual impact of such infrastructure on local livelihoods has received substantially less attention. Exceptions are the study by Delicado et al. [16], who investigate the impacts of wind and solar plants on local development in communities in Portugal, the analysis by Munday et al. [10] on the economic development opportunities

Methodology: social impact assessment (SIA)

In order to analyse the potential positive and negative impacts of both the construction and operational phases of the NOOR_O I CSP plant, an SIA with a strong focus on the integration of local perspectives was carried out involving affected local stakeholders in different steps of the process.

The assessment was built on a number of systematic steps summarized in Fig. 1. The analysis presented in this paper focuses on the results of the two assessment steps – impact identification and

Impact identification

Although the power plant had not yet been commissioned when this study was conducted, beneficial and adverse effects on people's livelihoods had already been observed during the planning and construction phases. These effects varied between communities, stakeholder groups and the different project phases.

In addition to observed impacts resulting from the completed project phases, the evaluation also included anticipated impacts for the operational phase. The anticipated impacts mainly describe

Discussion

The analysis provides empiric evidence on the social impacts of a large-scale CSP power plant based on the case study of NOORo I in Morocco. Despite the empiric results of this analysis, the applied research approach still has certain limitations and uncertainties. These arise from factors such as the variability and quality of the input data collected during the empirical research phases, choices made within the stakeholder selection process and assumptions made in summarizing information

Conclusions

The importance of assessing the socio-economic benefits of large infrastructure projects is widely recognized, but to date few publications exist in the academic and practitioner literature on the potential impacts of these developments at local level. Even less information is available on the local impacts of large-scale implementation in the MENA region. To fill this research gap, this social impact assessment of NOOR_O I in Ouarzazate, Morocco, provides detailed empiric insights, which allow

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) (grant no. P5 E5001-0125/012). The sole responsibility for the content of this paper lies with the authors. The authors would further like to thank the project partners Germanwatch e.V., Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC), MENA Renewable and Sustainability (MENARES) and L'Association Drâa des Énergies Renouvelables, as well as the Moroccan student

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Social impacts of large-scale solar thermal power plants: Assessment results for the NOORO I power plant in Morocco

Highlights

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Assessing the social impacts of renewable energy infrastructure

Methodology: social impact assessment (SIA)

Impact identification

Discussion

Conclusions

Acknowledgments

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Social impacts of large-scale solar thermal power plants: Assessment results for the NOOR_O I power plant in Morocco