Renewable energy production in a Mexican biosphere reserve: Assessing the potential using a multidisciplinary approach
| Autor: | Rodolfo Silva, M. Luisa Martínez, Ian MacGregor-Fors, Astrid Wojtarowski, Ana Laura Lara-Domínguez, José G. García-Franco, Cecilia Enriquez, Debora Lithgow, Gabriela Vázquez, Jorge López-Portillo |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Environmental Engineering
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences business.industry Global warming Biosphere 010501 environmental sciences 15. Life on land Plankton 01 natural sciences Pollution Renewable energy 13. Climate action Environmental protection Marine energy Threatened species Environmental Chemistry Environmental science Production (economics) Mangrove business Waste Management and Disposal 0105 earth and related environmental sciences |
| Zdroj: | Science of The Total Environment. 776:145823 |
| ISSN: | 0048-9697 |
| Popis: | In Mexico, the CEMIE-Oceano (Mexican Center for Ocean Energy Innovation) is exploring potential locations for marine energy production while assessing social perception and protecting the environment. The goals of this study were to: a) calculate potential renewable energy production in the north of the Yucatan Peninsula; b) understand the perception of the local inhabitants towards the installation and operation of ocean energy devices and c) estimate the potential environmental impacts in the Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, considering keystone or unique/endemic species. Our results indicate that energy harvesting through salinity gradient would be the most feasible among renewable energy production alternatives that would reduce emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere thus helping mitigate global warming. The maximum recorded salinity was 90 psu, in February and April, which would provide 1.39 kWh/m3. This would not be sufficient to fully meet the local demands for electricity. Our findings show that the local people are not well informed regarding renewable energies. They appreciate their natural environment and would be very reluctant to see drastic changes in their surroundings. Finally, if saline gradient energy production were to be implemented here, the changes in the gradient and hydrosedimentary flows would probably induce undesirable alterations to the natural ecosystems: (mangroves), food webs (plankton), and threatened species (flamingos and horseshoe crabs). In conclusion, our findings indicate that salinity gradient energy production is unlikely to be viable in the Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve mostly because of the reluctance of local inhabitants to changes in their environment and the potential environmental impacts. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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