Cumulative Effects & Synergies Study

What a cumulative effects study is

A cumulative effects (synergies) study assesses the combined and cumulative effects of a project together with other projects that are existing, under construction or under processing in the same territory, across the different environmental factors: wildlife, landscape, noise, air quality and hydrology. It is required with increasing rigour in the environmental assessment of renewable energy projects, given the high density of wind and solar farms concentrated in certain Spanish districts.

Why it is necessary

The environmental impact of an individual project may be acceptable in isolation, but the sum of multiple projects in the same area can generate a significant cumulative effect that none of the individual studies reflects on its own. Under Spanish and EU law, the environmental assessment procedure (Spanish Law 21/2013) expressly requires the assessment of synergistic and cumulative effects with other projects, existing or approved, within the same territorial area.

Which environmental factors it analyses

• Wildlife and ecological connectivity: cumulative barrier effect of multiple fenced farms or nearby power lines, cumulative collision mortality of birds and bats.
• Landscape: combined visual perception of multiple installations from a single viewpoint or visual basin.
• Noise: cumulative immission levels at receptors simultaneously exposed to several sound sources.
• Land take: total surface transformed in the district by the set of projects, including cumulative loss of agricultural or forest land.
• Evacuation infrastructure: saturation of the electricity grid and the need for new shared infrastructure.

Methodology

1. Identification of concurrent projects within the study area, through consultation of the energy and environmental administration registers.
2. Delimitation of the synergies analysis area, generally broader than the direct scope of the individual project.
3. Factor-by-factor analysis of the cumulative effect, combining data from all identified projects.
4. Assessment of significance of the cumulative effect and, where appropriate, proposal of additional mitigation measures.

Why choose Ideas Medioambientales

We carry out cumulative effects and synergies studies for renewable energy projects in districts with a high density of installations, with a rigorous methodology for identifying concurrent projects and analysing each environmental factor in turn, helping to anticipate the requirements of the environmental authority in this increasingly scrutinised area. More than 25 years of experience across Spain.

Tell us the location of your project and we will advise on the scope of synergies analysis you need.