The last decade has been marked with serious investment interest in the construction of wind turbines on the territories of the Bulgarian Black Sea municipalities. The favorable geographic situation and benevolent climate conditions attract many domestic and international companies that plan to construct wind parks along the Black Sea coastline.
Nevertheless wind utilization as an alternative energy source appears to be a risky investment since there is no reliable public information for the suitability of the land plots for wind turbine construction. The chaotic selection of inappropriate terrains entail economic loss for both investors and local communities as it can harm the biodiversity and environmental equilibrium in the region. A main European bird migration route ? Via Pontica ? passes through the Bulgarian Black Sea region and the construction of wind turbines along this route can damage rare endemic bird populations and entail environmental catastrophes.
Therefore the Bourgas Regional Agency for Energy Management (BoRAEM) developed the project ?Pilot Demonstration Model for Wind Audit and Energy Alternatives in Small Black Sea Municipalities? in order to mobilize the local communities in target Black Sea municipalities to utilize wind as an alternative energy source while preserving the environmental equilibrium and biodiversity.
The project is implemented on the territories on seven pilot municipalities in the Bulgarian Black Sea region. The direct project beneficiaries are local authorities and communities of the pilot municipalities /about 400 000 people/, indigenous small and medium enterprises in the tourism sector / about 500 companies/ as well as potential investors in the alternative energy sector.
The project activities are organized in four interrelated modules aiming at the promotion of alternative energy supply for small buildings - family hotels, guesthouses and restaurants ? at sites with good wind energy potential and safe environmental characteristics (e.g. away from Via Pontica). Through a targeted awareness-raising campaign the project will improve the knowledge and skills of the local stakeholders and businesses to utilize wind as alternative energy sources and shall initiate a broad partnership for rational energy use and environmentally friendly behavior in the region.
The ?Pilot Demonstration Model for Wind Audit and Energy Alternatives in Small Black Sea Municipalities? introduces a novel approach for channeling the investment interest in wind energy production through a detailed annual measuring of the wind potential in five points, drafting of detailed wind maps, and determination for the most appropriates sites for wind park construction in terms of economic and environmental value. The demonstration module can be easily multiplied in other regions of Bulgaria while its immediate results are to be promoted in Varna and Dobrich regions in the time frame of the present initiative.
The project is to influence positively the protection of the environment and the economic development of the target municipalities. The prospective construction of wind turbines at appropriately selected sites will guarantee alternative energy supply together with preservation of the valuable biodiversity of the region. The availability of reliable information for the wind characteristics and wind maps will entail increased investor interest and real beneficial investments. The long-term result is increase of alternative energy supply, real combat of climate change and reduction of energy expenses in the SMEs and households along the Black Sea.