The revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED – 2023/2413) was adopted on 31st October 2023. Article 15c states that Member States shall adopt one or more plans designating renewable acceleration areas (RAAs) for one or more types of renewable energy sources by 21 February 2026. RAAs are areas where the deployment of renewable energy projects of a specific technology is not expected to have significant environmental impacts. The European Commission published the Guidance on designating renewables acceleration areas in May 2024 (SWD (2024) 333 final). The guide provides non-binding recommendations for the designation of acceleration areas and focuses on mapping RAA areas for ground-mounted solar and onshore and offshore wind projects.
According to the guide, there are two main steps to RAA designation. Step 1 is the preparation of RAA plans for the specific technology or technologies to be deployed in the different areas, which includes the identification of the RAAs (taking into account priority and excluded areas, sensitivity mapping). Step 2 is the submission of the plans to the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) procedure, including the preparation of a rulebook consisting of a set of rules for the mitigation measures to be adopted in the areas. Each RAA will have to go through a SEA assessment and have its own rulebook as specific as possible and related to local conditions/context.
Increasing renewable energy targets are also expected to be met by an increase in the area occupied by renewable energy sources. The EU’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has mapped the technical potential and land suitability for the deployment of renewable energy in the EU. In the analysis, land suitable for renewable energy sources is defined as land considered optimal for sustainable exploitation. The mapping excluded biodiversity-rich areas, natural reserves, and productive agricultural land while giving priority to built-up areas and degraded agricultural land with limited prospects. Research shows that sufficient suitable land is available to meet renewable energy targets away from the most environmentally sensitive areas. For this reason, the quick designation of RAAs is significant to select lands with suitable characteristics (EEB 2024).
It is therefore particularly important to develop a method for defining low-conflict, low-sensitive areas that can be used in spatial planning and regulatory procedures. Identifying acceleration areas requires using a methodology that can integrate the interests of different sectors and views of different actors. Throughout the process, it is therefore important to continuously consult with experts and stakeholders from different fields related to renewable energy (e.g. technical, environmental, social).
This study has been prepared for the Energy Policy Group (EPG) in connection with the RENewLand project funded by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI). The objectives of the project include enabling a multi-sector approach to the process of designating national solar and onshore wind acceleration areas and presenting a science-based methodology for integrated spatial planning of these areas in three pilot regions in Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary. The present study aims to provide a methodological basis for the first part of step 1 present in the Guidance on designating renewables acceleration areas, i.e. to develop a methodological proposal for mapping RAA areas. Followed by an extensive literature review, we propose a method for spatial planning that integrates the different disciplinary aspects related to renewable energy using geographic information system (GIS) and multi-criteria decision making (MCDA) tools. In developing the recommended method, we propose a process of analysis for two types of energy sources (solar and wind) according to RED, by creating several scenarios. Examining these scenarios can help the area designation process.