INERCO presents advanced environmental solutions for the development of wind farms

On 29 September, INERCO held the seminar “Wind farms: Key considerations for social management and environmental assessment”. The event was an opportunity for in-depth discussion of technical solutions to the challenges facing this important sector in Chile.

The event, organised by INERCO, was attended by more than 80 professionals from the main energy companies operating in Chile and was moderated by INERCO Consultoría Chile general manager César Escobar. The seminar offered attendees a forum for debate, with detailed discussions of three important subjects related to thewind energy industry: relations with indigenous communities to carry out energy projects, the phenomenon of shadow flicker and the mitigation of noise at wind farms.

In the first module, on wind farms and indigenous communities, José Joaquín Silva, a partner at the law firm Estudio Barros Silva Varela & Vigil Abogados, presented details of the legal framework around prior consultation with indigenous communities in Chilean legislation, placing special emphasis on investment projects that are part of the national Environmental Impact Assessment System. Silva also mentioned certain proposals to modify the current regulations and new trends in negotiations with indigenous communities.

This was followed by a talk on the same subject from University of Chile anthropologist Felipe Maturana, who described the day-to-day reality for indigenous communities in Chile and the legislation governing them. Maturana’s discussion involved the reasons for native populations’ negative perception of projects affecting their land and how these difficulties can be rectified.

The final talk in the block, from INERCO project manager and lawyer María José Salinero, described the most important aspects of relations with indigenous communities in energy projects. She spoke of the necessity of understanding the social context and the importance of early relations with the community, identifying the main challenges of carrying out projects with indigenous communities. Salinero also described success stories in which INERCO participated in this process of community relations with indigenous populations.

SHADOWS AND NOISE AT WIND FARMS – INERCO CHILE

The second and third blocks of the seminar focused on two technical issues: the effect of shadow flicker and the mitigation of noise at wind farms, basic aspects in the implementation of any wind power project.

INERCO project manager and architect José Miguel Osario gave a detailed description of the phenomenon of shadow flicker, an intermittent obstruction of light inside buildings caused by the movement of wind turbine blades. He explained the effect of these shadows on the human body and on animals and the international regulatory framework currently in place in various European countries. The INERCO expert also presented the methodology that should be applied to evaluate this effect and the mitigation measures that can be applied to prevent or minimise its impact.

In the last section of the event, INERCO Acústica general manager and industrial civil engineer Pedro Flores led a discussion on noise at wind farms. The specialist addressed the most important aspects of acoustic studies of wind farms. Drawing on his extensive international experience, Flores’ presentation was based on a complete analysis of how acoustic noise is generated, measured and affects the neighbouring populations of wind farms and how INERCO technology can be used to mitigate the impact of noise without reducing the farm’s profitability or operations.