Cooperativas Eólicas: forma de superar os conflitos em torno da energia eólica

Mesmo as fontes limpas de energia causam impactos sociais e ambientais.

Com frequência, as pessoas são traídas por estereótipos e por aquilo que acreditam ser "politicamente correto" e tendem a criar mitos em torno de ideias, tecnologias e soluções. É o que acontece com as fontes consideradas limpas e alternativas de energia. A tecnologia de geração de energia eólica, solar, geotérmica, e outras possibilidades, poderão ser a salvação do planeta, mas para isso também precisam superar problemas e conflitos.

É o caso da energia eólica, a mais promissora (pelo menos no curto e médio prazo) e dinâmica (é a que mais cresce) indústria dentre todas as novas formas de geração de energia. Mesmo sendo muito menos impactantes do que as fontes tradicionais, as turbinas geradoras de energia eólica já são a causa de muitos conflitos e polêmicas nas regiões onde a sua presença é mais difundida, como nos países escandinavos, Alamanha, EUA, etc.

Os críticos das turbinas eólicas alegam que estas geram impactos paisagísticos, danos à fauna (existem alguns registros de afugentamento, mudanças de hábitos e até mortes de aves migratórias, morcegos e outras espécies, atribuídas às turbinas), produzem poluição sonora (apesar da pouca intensidade, as turbinas produzem ruídos repetitivos e constantemente) e que gerariam conflitos com outros usos do solo mais tradicionais e previamente existentes. Por alguns destes motivos, alguns parques de geração eólicos já estão sendo implantados em áreas oceânicas de baixa profundidade, mas afastadas da linha de costa, de forma a minimizar estes conflitos.

Os dois textos abaixo apresentam uma interessante solução que tem sido adotada nestas regiões de maior conflito social e de resistências contra a presença das usinas eólicas: a completa integração da comunidade com as estratégias de produção de energia e até a participação das pessoas como donas do negócio, através de cooperativas eólicas. É o caso de uma localidade próximo à Copenhague, Dinamarca, onde os moradores da região passaram a ser donos do empreendimentos e a participar tanto dos lucros, como das tomadas de decisão quanto à solução para os problemas.

No segundo texto, uma cooperativa de consumidores rurais celebra a entrada em operação do primeiro parque eólico comunitário na Dakota do Norte, nos EUA.

Desta forma, dizem os textos, supera-se o fenômeno NIMBY (abreviatura de "not in my backyard"), ou seja, a atitude de se entender a necessidade de que certos equipamentos ou interferências devam existir, mas que sejam lá no bairro do vizinho, "longe do meu quintal".

Axel Grael

Cooperatively owned Middelgrunden (or Middle Ground) wind farm off the coast of Copenhagen in Denmark.

Source: Clean Technica (http://s.tt/13Lu7)

Cooperative Wind Farm Ownership Beats NIMBYism

November 9, 2011 By Zachary Shahan

I just read an interesting story on Chinese news site Xinhuanet, of all places, on wind power in Denmark and how a cooperative ownership model has allowed the Danes to leap over the NIMBY hurdle that stops or stalls so many wind power projecs (and energy projects, in general).

“The Danish cooperative model involves private persons in the ownership of wind turbines, because you want the project to be accepted, and also to avoid the NIMBY or, ‘Not In My Back Yard’ effect,” said Hans Christian Soerensen, board member of the Middelgrunden Wind Turbine Cooperative.
Very logical. Want someone to not complain about a major, noticeable change in the area? Bring them into the project!

–You might also like: Cooperative South Dakota Wind Farm Nets 600 Local Owners

In the story, they look at a specific case study to better show how the process works. They summarize the development of the Middelgrunden, or Middle Ground wind park, which includes 20 wind turbines off Copenhagen’s east coast that can power 40,000 Copenhagen households, on average.
“The idea for the park was raised as far back as 1993, and consultation with local people and non-governmental organizations about where and how to place the wind-turbines started soon after,” Yamei Wang of Xinhuanet wrote.

Eventually shares of the project were opened up to residents, and the project was completed in 2000. “As a shareholder, you buy a share for 4,250 Danish kroner (around 571 euros) and in the beginning you get about 600 kroner (80.6 euros) back in revenue every year, which means about 14 to 15 percent return,” said Soerensen.

“But today, after more than 10 years, we have all the money back and you get about seven percent every year on invested capital. People are quite satisfied with this because it is much better than having it in a bank, and at the same time, you are doing something positive for the environment.”

Yes, that is a serious win-win.

The 48-million-euro ($65-million) wind farm now has 8,856 shareholders, and those shareholders are free to sell their shares to others. DONG, the biggest energy and utilities company in Denmark, owns 10 of the turbines, built the wind park, and operates it.

Cooperative ownership is apparently something that comes natural to the Danes (wish it did to Americans.. but maybe it is beginning to). Other than wind farms, which have used cooperative ownership since the 1970s, banks, dairies, and abattoirs have had long success using cooperative ownership models.

Denmark is a world leader in wind power, and it wants to use wind power to provide its citizens with 50% of their electricity by 2020. Cooperative ownership sure makes getting those wind turbines installed, and giving back to the people — or democratizing the electricity grid — is certainly a nice this to do.

Middelgrunden Wind Farm Photo via Stig Nygaard

Fonte: Clean Technica (http://s.tt/13Lu7)

------------------------------------------------------------------

Cooperados celebram o início da produção de energia eólica.

Rural Electric Cooperative Completes $240 Million Wind Farm in 4 Months

A North Dakota rural electric cooperative made history on New Year’s Eve, in completing the nation’s largest wind project to be entirely owned by a consumer cooperative.

The $240 million, 115.5 MW wind farm was begun in August and completed a mere four months later; three and a half hours before midnight on the last night of 2009. GE supplied the 77 1.5 MW turbines.

North Dakota’s Basin Electric is a rural electricity cooperative that generates and transmits electricity to 136 member rural electric systems in nine states: indirectly serving about 2.8 million consumers in nine states.

By the end of 2010 the cooperative hopes that it will produce 20% of its electricity from wind power for its 2.8 million rural consumers in parts of rural Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Achieving that lofty goal will be quite a leap. In 2005 Basin Electric got 94% of its electricity from coal and less than 1% from wind.

But if any organization can do it, it would be one that can build a 115 MW wind farm in four months. One that got the preliminary environmental reviews and permitting done in just one Spring during which they:

• Completed an Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act
• Communicated with the county and townships, seeking input/approval on project development, construction and operation
• Conducted landowner meetings seeking input to identify farming needs in relation to site layout
• Coordinated and received input from multiple state and federal agencies
• Developed a site layout that avoids wetlands, cultural resources, residences, roads and transmission lines
• Received a Certificate of Site Compatibility from the North Dakota Public Service Commission

Though the Prairie Winds 1 farm is spread out across 30,000 acres (the larger a wind farm is; the more it helps in evening out wind intermittency, as its always blowing somewhere), each turbine actually requires less than one acre of land, and farming can take place around the turbines.

Cooperatives have no taxes, as they make no profits. Margins must be used to improve or maintain operations, set aside in reserves, or distributed to the membership. As a result, they are not eligible for the 30% production tax credits that can make financing new renewable energy projects easier.

But, to make up for that, of about $2 billion in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds that have been made available by the Department of Energy for non-profits like schools and churches to build renewable energy, about $460 million went to rural electricity cooperatives.

But maybe that proportion should be looked at again, for three reasons.

1. Rural empty states are where the wind is.
2. Rural empty states are where electricity cooperatives are.
3. Rural empty state’s cooperatives are beating national averages in bringing the most renewable energy online the fastest.

Renewable capacity among rural electricity cooperatives grew 65% in 2008. The rest of us: 25%.

Related stories:
100% Wind Powered Island off Maine Financed Using Electricity Coop
Image: Basin Electric
Source: Prairie Business
More from Susan Kraemer: Journalists on Twitter

Source: Clean Technica (http://s.tt/12uG0)