Wind Power News: Netherlands
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
German wind turbine maker pulls out of offshore wind park
Controversial German wind turbine maker Bard has pulled out of a project to build the Netherlands’ biggest offshore wind park, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Wednesday. Bard beat Dutch energy firms Nuon and Eneco to the contract to build the wind park off the coast of the Wadden Sea island of Schiermonnikoog last year. The project has been allocated up to €4.4bn in government subsidies. Amsterdam investment company Typhoon, which is arranging the project’s financing, hopes the withdrawal of Bard . . .
Not in my backyard
In the northeastern province of Drenthe, there’s growing opposition to plans to construct a mega wind park. The park will consist of over 100 windmills, each one over 200 metres high. Local residents fear that the windmills will be an eye sore and disturb the peace and quiet of the province. But farmers who will rent their land to place the windmills say the wind park could be a boon for the local economy. They also stand to earn tens . . .
Germany and the Netherlands bicker over wind turbines
The Netherlands and Germany are embroiled in a dispute over the placing of wind turbines at sea off the coast of the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. The paper says German energy firm EWE wants to place the turbines in a part of the North Sea which the Netherlands considers its territory. The plan involves erecting 30 turbines north of Schiermonnikoog – the last of the Dutch Wadden Sea islands – and the German island of . . .
Wind turbines to finance forests?
The national forestry management institute Staatsbosbeheer is to develop wind parks alongside new forestry developments, Trouw reports on Tuesday. One of the main obstacles to wind park development is public opposition – but planting woods may ease people’s fears, the organisation says. This is because within 15 years, the trees will have reached 15m high, hiding the turbines. Staatsbosbeheer already has several plans under consideration. The organisation’s budget is being cut by €20m next year making the search for alternative . . .
Hidden costs of wind power
Ross Greenwood speaks to Kees De Groot, author of “The hidden fuel costs of wind generated electricity”. Download mp3 podcast.
Wind turbines unpopular thanks to environmentalists
Environmentalists expect much from wind energy but don’t like to see the countryside dotted with turbines, writes Trouw. Some twenty years ago the first wind turbines started to appear on Dutch farmland. Every new wind turbine was a novelty and duly reported by the local newspaper. The farmers, innovative and often slightly eccentric, had had to fight long and hard to get a license from councils who had to appease a population doubtful of the usefulness of these gigantic structures. . . .
Windmolen in verdomhoek, met dank aan de milieuclubs
ANALYSE – De milieubeweging verwacht veel van windenergie, maar tegelijkertijd houdt ze niet van windmolens her en der verspreid over het platteland. Zijn die twee uitgangspunten met elkaar te rijmen? Zo’n twintig jaar geleden kregen de eerste boerderijen in Nederland een windmolen. Dat was een feestje, soms zelfs met een foto en een stukje in de regionale krant. Want de boeren, vernieuwend en vaak een tikje excentriek, hadden hun vergunning zwaar moeten bevechten bij de gemeenten. Die hadden ook te . . .
Friesland makes rules for wind turbines
Friesland province is to stop placing wind turbines in its open landscape and concentrate them in three border areas instead, the new provincial council has decided. A number of villagers have protested about plans to install the giant turbines close to their homes, which they say are noisy and making their surroundings unattractive to live in, Trouw reports. Wind turbines are also an issue in other provinces. In Noord-Holland the council has decided they should only be placed off the . . .
Friezen weren windmolens uit open gebied
Friesland wil geen nieuwe windmolens meer in het open landschap. Windturbines komen alleen nog op drie plaatsen bij de provinciegrenzen. Met dit voornemen honoreert het nieuwe college van Gedeputeerde Staten het protest in diverse dorpen tegen nieuwe windmolenparken in de buurt. In Reduzum bijvoorbeeld liepen inwoners te hoop tegen de komst van acht hoge molens. Ze vreesden dat het mooie, open landschap eraan zou gaan, en dat het veel minder aantrekkelijk zou worden om in het dorpje ten zuiden van . . .
The Dutch lose faith in windmills
The new Dutch right-wing government has announced a radical overhaul of Dutch energy policy. It is cutting subsidies for most forms of renewable energy drastically, and is even putting an end to all subsidies for offshore wind, solar power and largescale biomass. It has also announced a warm welcome for new nuclear power stations – the first time a Dutch government has done so since the Chernobyl-disaster in 1986. However, not all is lost for the renewable energy sector: the . . .
