ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF RENEWABLE

ENERGY RESOURCES

ASSIGNMENT NO. 1

IMPACT OF BIO-ENERGY ON FLORA AND FAUNA:

Impacts of bio energy include affects on ecosystems and species within them (including
humans), termed ecological impacts; and affects on geophysical systems such as water
and climate, termed environmental impacts.
Impacts may be direct, like tailpipe emissions from burning bio fuels, or indirect, like
soil emissions of carbon dioxide from biomass production.
Bio energy-related land use decisions may affect local, regional and global ecological
and environmental systems.
Of particular concern are GHG emissions, habitat change, biodiversity, soil quality, and
water quantity and quality.
Land use decisions are affected by many factors from local to global in scope, including
public policy, prices of agricultural commodities, prices of petroleum, and land values.
Land use change includes conversion of native ecosystems into agricultural use, as well
as switching from one crop type to another. Also included in the LUC category is
diversion of food crops grown primarily for food into bio energy feedstock use, for
example, corn grain.
Land use decisions in response to biomass and bio energy demand, then, are coupled
with local and global economies.
Native ecosystems and managed ecosystems also provide many benefits which
indirectly affect humans.
Land use and LUC associated with biomass production can increase or decrease the
direct and indirect benefits of native and managed ecosystems.
Natural sources effect the concentrations of GHGs over time, global scientific consensus
indicates that human sources of GHGs also contribute to global climate change.
The science of global climate change indicates an overall warming trend for the earth as
a whole in association with rising levels of GHGs.
 Bio energy has the potential to be carbon-neutral by balancing the amount of carbon
released in use of bio energy products with an equivalent amount put into and stored in
soils, plant and animal tissues, or other material such as the ocean floor.
Bio energy is part of a global carbon cycle where plants take up atmospheric carbon
dioxide and convert it into plant tissue.
The carbon is later released back to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when the plant
biomass is burned directly or after it has been converted into a fuel and used called
emissions.
For biomass production, the amount of GHG emissions will depend on the ecosystem
being converted.
In some cases, the amount of CO2 emitted will be large and will require decades if not
hundreds of years to be sequestered again by bio energy crops or native vegetation.
Compared to perennial biomass production, corn cropping requires more fertilizer and
pesticide inputs, and results in greater soil disturbance leading to land use- induced
carbon emissions.
Bio char the co-product of paralysis, is carbon rich and stable, and when added to soil
it serves as a long-term carbon bank.
While second, third, and even fourth generation bio fuel systems potentially reduce
GHGs they are not yet widely available at commercial scales and future demand is
uncertain.
Bio energy and biomass crops are often promoted by environmentalists and government
leaders as having the potential to provide tremendous amounts of wildlife habitat and to
support biodiversity.
Several important studies provide evidence of the negative impacts of first generation
bio fuel on wildlife and biodiversity, while others provide evidence that bio power and
second generation bio fuels have positive effects on wildlife and biodiversity.
Policies to outline environmental standards for bio energy production are lacking, and
financial programs for compensating land owners and farmers for habitat- and
biodiversity-protecting land practices are also lacking.
Most significantly, land conversion could decrease native habitats, reduce biodiversity
and decrease ecosystem services.
Key issues are habitat loss and fragmentation with expanding corn and soybean acres;
loss of Conservation Reserve Program land; persistence of pesticides in the environment
 associated with conventional row crops; timing of harvest of perennial crops and forests;
and impacts to water quality associated with agricultural run-off.
Emission of air pollutants from bio power combustion and burning of bio fuels also
potentially impacts water quality mostly via precipitation.
The impact of bio energy to water is often referred to as the water footprint.
Nitrogen (N) and other agronomic pollutants like phosphorous (P), can enter water
resources through runoff and leaching.
The major concern for surface water polluted with N and P, is the promotion of algal
growth (eutrification) accompanied by aquatic oxygen depletion, fish mortality, clogged
pipelines, and reduced recreational values.
Water use in conversion of feedstock to bio energy also has potential negative impacts
on water availability and quality.
Bio power generation requires use of water to produce high-pressure steam to drive
turbines and low-pressure steams to deliver heat/cooling in centralized heating/cooling
districts.
Water use for fermentation may deplete surrounding surface or groundwater supplies
and limit their availability for other uses including drinking water, wildlife habitat, and
recreation.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF SMALL HYDRO POWER PLANT,

MINI-HYDEL POWER PLANT AND MICRO-HYDRO POWER
PLANT:

There is an impact on terrestrial ecosystem.

It includes all the land within the project study area (within 10 km radius from the project
area).
Acquisition of land for various project components like submergence, road construction,
dam structure, labour camps, colonies.
Change in Land Use and Habitat Destruction.
Leads to the land use changes, habitat degradation and destruction from the said land.
We have to examine whether the area is covered by the dense or open forests.
Location of various structures.
 Dumping sites: Number, Location and Area of the dumping sites.
New Roads and bridges: Slope failure
Anthropogenic Pressure: Increase in fuel wood collection, killing and poaching of
animals, rearing of the livestock, grazing activities by the livestock.
Settlement away from forests. Provision of facilities like fuel, kitchen, sanitary etc.
Impact on the wildlife by the vibration of the machines, increase in noise.
Species population loss.
May be case where there will be expected loss or disappearance of some species.
It will also lead to formation of algae and it may lead to the eutrophication of the
reservoir.
The dam acts as an obstruction for the fish migration. (Habitat fragmentation)
Deterioration of water quality.
The activities such as bathing and drinking will have the negative impact.
Untreated sewage is disposed in the river it will lead to increase in the organic content.
Sediments.
Essential to have the information of the slope of the ground.
In case of steep slopes, the sediments would be washed away by the water to the
reservoir.
Downstream Impacts.
Lowering of the turbidity water downstream leading to the high erosion capacity of the
river.
Vegetation gets damaged during the construction of dams.
The allowable level of noise depends on the local population or on isolated house near to
the power house.
The noise comes mainly from the turbines and nowadays noise inside the power house
can be reduced, if necessary by insulation of the power house walls and roof.
Each of the components that comprise a hydro scheme has potential to create a change in
the visual impact of the site.
The design location, and appearance of any one feature may well determine the level of
public acceptance for the entire scheme.
The penstock is usually the main cause of nuisance. Its layout must be carefully studied
using every natural feature such as rocks, ground and vegetation.
 If the penstock can be buried, this is usually a good solution from environmental point of
view. Expansion joints and concrete anchor blocks could then be reduced or eliminated,
the ground is returned to its original state and the pipe does not form a barrier to the
passage of wild life especially in forest.
All component of a SHP should be skilfully inserted into the landscape.
The reduction on flow in the stream bed between the intake and the tail race downstream
of the power house may affect the life of fishes if they exist in the river.
In high flow period the water spills over the weir and floods the stream-bed.
Frequent changes from semi dry to wet condition can make problem for aquatic life.
In case of biological methods for the definition of the residual flow value is implemented,
there is a possibility for the developer to decrease the level of the required discharge, by
modifying the physical structure of the stream bed.
Growing trees on the riverbanks to provide shadowed areas, deposit gravel in the stream
bed to improve the substratum, reinforce the riverside shrubs to fight erosion etc.

SUBMITTED TO:

DR. ANKUSH GUPTA

SUBMITTED BY: Aman Gupta

16mre002