Vulnerabilidade ambiental como complemento ao licenciamento ambiental de usinas fotovoltaicas: um estudo de caso no Ceará

Abstract

For sustainable development, the support of laws and guidelines is essential to outline a path for economic evolution without harming the environment. This involves creating mechanisms to control the disordered depletion of natural resources, most notably the Environmental Impact Study (EIS), in which environmental vulnerability assessment contributes to the improvement of the licensing process. This study analyzed the environmental vulnerability of the Lins 1 and 2 Solar Complex in São Gonçalo do Amarante (CE), identifying areas of greater sensitivity and demonstrating that natural limits can overlap with legal ones. The methodology employed the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which, through a multi-criteria approach adapted to the local context, prioritized variables such as land use and cover, soil types, environmental systems, slope, and the presence of residential clusters. Geoprocessing and GIS tools enabled the creation of environmental vulnerability maps for the project's area of influence. Results indicated areas with varying vulnerability levels, highlighting that 36.76% of the Directly Affected Area exhibits high vulnerability. The study concludes that although solar energy is renewable, large-scale plants can generate significant environmental and social impacts; therefore, calculating environmental vulnerability is fundamental for ecosystem planning and conservation, promoting sustainable development.