This part of the project is aiming to deal with all the environmental issues deriving from the proposal. The fuels that are currently in use for heating by the village are coal, oil, electricity and LPG. As a first step, an estimation of the distribution of fuels used by the community was carried out. The distribution is presented in the next chart. It should be noted that the distribution is based partially on in situ investigation and entails a degree of uncertainty.
Estimated fuel Usage by the village
The emissions that are associated with the combustion of the fuels mentioned above are presented in the following table.
Air pollutants categorised by fuel
The calculation of the CO2e emissions required the acquiring of the conversion factors. Each activity had a different emission factor and the calculation of the CO2e emissions was conducted taking into account all the village heating demand. Three different scenarios have been developed.
The first scenario accounts for the current situation.
The second covers the implementation of the district energy network.
The third covers the second scenario with the integration of renewable energy sources.
The results are presented in the following graph.
CO2e annually emitted
It should be mentioned at this point that the decrease between the first and the second scenario is 45% and between the first and the third one is 88%. In addition to that, a future scenario was further developed to simulate the total equivalent warming impact of the network in a 20-year period. The next formula was used to calculate the impact in a 20 year projection.
Total Equivalent Warming Impact Formula
Equation inputs
The cross-check with this formula resulted in a 5.7% difference with the project's analytical calculations, meaning that the data are valid. Therefore, the following graph represents the three different scenarios developed above.
20-year prediction of CO2 emissions
District Energy Network Impacts Assessment The duration of the project is estimated from 18 months to 24 months. Therefore, the construction phase of the project had to be taken into account as well as the operation one. The tables below represent different potential impacts, their magnitude and the proposed responses.
Construction Phase
Projected impacts in the construction phase of the project
Operation Phase
Projected impacts in the operation phase of the project
It should be highlighted at this point that the socioeconomic impacts associated with the project are anticipated to be highly positive for the local community. The project aims to deliver a positive impact to the residents of Kinlochleven. The management and administration of the facilities and the profit will be done by the community, requiring an engagement within the construction and operation phase of the project.
Proposed Wind Energy Development Impacts Assessment The proposed wind farm is located close to Loch Elde Mor, due to the increased wind speed, the appropriateness of the terrain and the ease of access. Next step included the identification of the need of an Environmental Impact Assessment. According to the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), a wind farm is considered as “small” when the number of wind turbines is less than three and should comply with some criteria. According to EIA Scottish Regulations 2011, if the installation of a wind farm includes more than 2 turbines or the hub height of the turbines is more than 15 m falls within schedule 2, which might require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Then the local authority is responsible to decide whether an EIA is required and the responsibility then lies to the developer to conduct it. The screening process provides assistance at these cases of uncertainty. The criteria of SNH assessment require the impacts concerning the landscape, character of the landscape, the birds and bats, influence to population, transport etc. It should be noted that the proposed area is within a sensitivity birds zone of high rating (according to RSPB map), is not within the areas of bat paths and it is within the wild land area 14.
The proposed location is not affected by the Sites of Special Scientific Interest area situated East of the centre of the village. However, the whole community is currently included under a National Scenic Area so Scottish Natural Heritage should be consulted regarding guidance before submitting any application for planning.
