Community engagement: a key aspect of RE procurement

Renewable energy is driving the transition to green and decarbonized economies. However, building more wind and solar plants is not enough. These facilities must go beyond simply generating clean power and displacing fossil fuels on the grid: they must also implement best practices that create additional benefits for their surrounding ecosystems in environmental as well as social terms, in line with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As already mentioned in our previous article on “Land use, habitat and RE: Enel Green Power steps up for sustainability”, one example of these best practices is to integrate the preservation of topsoil and local biodiversity at the design and construction stage of any new project. Another example is to develop projects to share benefits with the communities surrounding the plants and to improve their quality of life, above and beyond providing them with a clean energy supply. To this end “corporate energy buyers need to integrate the social impacts of their Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to consider issues involving race, equity and environmental justice,” according to the recent Salesforce report titled ‘More Than a Megawatt: Embedding Social & Environmental Impact in the Renewable Energy Procurement Process’. The report establishes a series of criteria to help buyers identify the best renewable energy developers based on their sustainability practices. One of these criteria is the renewable energy developer’s degree of community engagement and creation of shared value, according to Salesforce. Developers must find ways to share the tangible benefits of a renewable energy project with local communities. When it is done right, community engagement fosters trust, a feeling of shared ownership and pride in the project. “Although there is no one size fits all solution, buyers should still evaluate developers on their investments in community engagement and plans for benefit sharing (in whatever shape or form it takes)”, according to the Salesforce report. For example, community engagement might involve stakeholder meetings to answer questions, address concerns and solicit feedback. In this way developers can learn what the unique needs are of the local community and work with its members to determine how best to meet those needs. This investment will in turn foster community approval and support of the renewable energy project. The Enel Green Power Curibamba project A model of successful community engagement is the Curibamba project, which Enel Green Power implemented in collaboration with the rural communities living around a 200 MW hydroelectric plant it built in the Comas, Uchubamba and Tulumayo River basins in Peru. The development of the rural communities living in this area located 300 km from the capital Lima depends on improved roads, new sewer systems, investments in education, culture and sports, and supporting the local farming economy. While the clean energy generated by the new hydroelectric plant plays a key role in responding to the region's growing energy needs, Enel Green Power set up stakeholders meetings to understand how to further improve their living conditions. What emerged from these consultations is that while the land is perfect for growing coffee, the farmers were unable to produce quality harvests because they lacked adequate machinery, suitable infrastructure, and technical skills. As a result of this dialogue, the Curibamba coffee project was born in 2012 in the villages of Uchubamba, San Cristobal de Marancocha and San José de Villano. It involved training and capacity building programs for 80 farmers —- 57 men and 23 women — from the communities surrounding the Enel Green Power operations. New tools for empowered communities The Curibamba project had several successful outcomes: farmers were able to improve production on approximately 80 hectares of coffee plantations thanks to an agroforestry system that involves growing a mix of different trees to shade the coffee plants. In 2016, Enel Green Power delivered 5,000 seedlings of pine, ulcumano and Shaina or Japanese maple trees to the coffee growers. Tree density grew to 110 trees per hectare, with 19 different arboreal species creating a biodiverse ecosystem on the coffee lots. The project also involved capacity building in coffee growing techniques. To date, the project has carried out more than 290 trainings and more than 5,800 technical visits to the plots. Two growers were trained as professional coffee tasters and roasters. The farmers have participated in five internships, and have taken part in various fairs to promote their product. In addition, teams of experts in coffee production techniques and in the care of crops periodically visit the farming families, offering them support, practical indications and ongoing training. As well, the communities now have grinding and roasting machines, allowing them to produce high quality coffee that can compete on the market. Enel Green Power also delivered 80 complete coffee processing modules (vat tanks, solar dryers, septic tanks and compost bins) allowing for better hygiene and product quality. In 2016, a group of 45 local growers, of whom 11 are women, formed the Cooperativa Agraria de Cafés Especiales Curibamba (Curibamba Special Coffee Farming Cooperative). Over the course of five years they increased their annual income from the sale of coffee by 52%, and increased the yield per hectare of coffee from 3.5 quintals to 10 quintals — a rise of 185%. Sharing benefits, improving lives Today about 150 families participate in the Curibamba project, and a further 35 hectares of land have been cultivated with 175,000 new Arabica coffee plants. Thanks to an agreement with Peruvian companies that specialize in coffee marketing, Enel Green Power enabled the families of the Curibamba Cooperative to launch their product on the national market. To date these communities have sold around 16 tons of coffee at above market prices, and community members took part in the 2018 EXPOCAFE food and beverage trade fair. Enel Green Power offered the farmer families material and direct support equal to approximately 60% of overall business costs. The company did not give money, but rather directly and constructively involved itself by offering services to improve production and quality. In this way, it took concrete action to implement UN SDG 8, which calls for the promotion of inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Renewable energy has the potential to empower lives and communities as well as to drive green economies. By taking a close look at the strategies and projects that renewable energy developers put in place in order to engage local communities around their plants and to share benefits with them, corporate RE buyers have a chance to maximize the positive impacts of their energy purchases while minimizing the negative ones.

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Community engagement: a key aspect of RE procurement

Community engagement: a key aspect of RE procurement

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