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By Melanie Coath, Senior Policy Officer
 
Earlier this month we were delighted to learn that the RSPB’s ground breaking Energy Futures project has been shortlisted for the prestigious RTPI planning awards. This project, also a finalist in last year’s Energy Institute awards, sets out our vision for how it is possible to deliver a low carbon energy future in harmony with nature.
 
Of particular interest to the Royal Town Planning Institute is that the project highlights the importance of taking a planned approach to the siting of renewable energy. We know already that poorly sited, managed or designed renewable energy developments can pose risks to wildlife, or result in land-use change that threatens key habitats. It is also clear that these conflicts can delay the roll out of renewable energy developments which are essential in the fight against climate change. To avoid this, RSPB recommends that the UK and devolved governments identify up-front suitable sites for renewable energy development with low risk for wildlife
 
So how can this be done? Our project uses pioneering and peer-reviewed mapping techniques to map areas of the UK where renewable technologies could be located with low ecological risk. For unmappable technologies we have analysed key risks to wildlife to establish how much renewable energy could be delivered with low risk for wildlife. Based on this research, we developed three 2050 energy scenarios using the DECC 2050 Calculator, that meet UK climate targets with low ecological risk. Importantly, we made sure our scenarios maintain energy security and don’t cost any more than other ways for meeting our climate targets.
 
We are calling on the UK Government  to  incorporate a strategic spatial approach to planning for renewable energy developments into its forthcoming Emissions Reduction Plan as well as into the delivery of its recently published Industrial Strategy. In Scotland we are calling for the Scottish Government to ensure strategic spatial planning for renewables in the Scottish Energy Strategy and Climate Change Plan alongside inclusion in new arrangements for the Scottish planning system. In the wider European context we are supporting Birdlife Europe in calling for better environmental safeguards, including a strategic spatial planning approach, to be incorporated into the proposed ‘Clean Energy Package’ of EU energy policies for the period after 2020. 
 
Our approach can help decision makers to understand the capacity of different energy technologies that can be delivered without damaging important areas for nature conservation.  We believe that the recognition received through being shortlisted for the RTPI planning awards underlines the value of taking this approach.