EN 
PT_BR 
O environmental licensing in photovoltaic plants It is a subject that is not always discussed in projects, but that needs to be taken into consideration.
This is because solar systems, despite generating energy from a renewable source, can cause environmental impacts if they are not well structured.
This Tuesday (2), the subject was on the agenda of Canal Solar webinar, which he unraveled with Robinson Fumagalli, director and founder of Environmental Core, the main sector doubts about the topic.
For the professional, the main point of understanding is that the environmental licensing is not an enemy of the entrepreneur, but an ally that brings results in the medium and long term.
According to him, the procedure is something that needs to be done to guarantee the socioeconomic development suitable for the region where the plant will be implemented and to ensure that the affected community feel safer in relation to the actions that will be carried out on site.
The executive highlighted, however, that – even though it is important – the environmental licensing still presents bottlenecks in Brazil, which involve:
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The mentality of the entrepreneur, who often sees the process as an obstacle to the development of their projects, and should understand that economic and sustainable development go hand in hand;
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The delay in analyzing the process with the environmental agency: which, on average, can take from two to six months (sometimes more than that) to complete, depending on the size of the plant and the complexity of each case;
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Carrying out environmental consultancy services with companies that do not have the technical capacity to manage the process. In this case, the lack of criteria to analyze the service provider's history and choosing him only for the most affordable price end up being the main mistakes made.
Legal system
During the webinar, Fumagalli also spoke about how the legal system of the environmental licensing process in Brazil, highlighting that the projects respond to spheres at municipal, state and federal levels.
According to him, federal legislation will always override state legislation, while it is above municipal legislation. Currently, at the federal level, CONAMA Resolutions 001/1986, 237/1997, 279/2001 are in force.
He also points out that the spheres of environmental licensing and the types of studies generally required are organized as follows: Federal (EIA-RIMA); State (EIA-RIMA, EAS, RAS) and Municipal (ECA, EIV, EAS).
Choice of areas
In relation to choice of areas to develop photovoltaic projects, the professional listed four points that he believes are the main precautions that should be taken by entrepreneurs. Are they:
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Existence or not of native vegetation: if it is native, it is necessary to check whether it is primary (never been disturbed) or secondary (already disturbed), as the former have more restrictions and limitations;
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Location in relation to APP (Permanent Preservation Areas) and ARL (Legal Reserve Areas);
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Location in relation to archaeological sites, caves and areas of traditional people;
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Location in terms of protection areas or buffer zones.
