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 do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Windmill topples over in Friesland during severe wind warning
A 32-meter high toppled over Sunday night in Jorwert, Friesland, while a weather warning for strong winds was in effect. Though it was initially reported to the fire department as a possible case of storm damage, authorities told broadcaster NOS the cause is still under investigation. It happened at about 6:45 p.m. on Hessensereed, a quiet road in the quiet Frisian town. The windmill fell across the street, blocking traffic in both directions. Eventually, a crane was used to move . . . Complete story »
A new problem for clean energy: Dealing with old windmill blades
If you live in a state where wind power is generating an increasing share of electricity, you’ve probably passed a windmill blade being towed down the highway and assumed that another new wind turbine is being installed somewhere. You might be wrong. Wind turbines put into service in the 1990s and the 2000s are reaching the end of their useful lives of 20 to 30 years and are being replaced. That’s creating a massive amount of junk that needs to . . . Complete story »
Waarom vaker dode bruinvissen rondom offshore windparken?
[Why are dead porpoises found more often around offshore wind farms? (translate article to English)] “Hoe kan het dat we vaker dode bruinvissen vangen rondom offshore windparken?”, vraagt Art-Jan van der Plas (WR 244 en KW 5). Tim Haasnoot van Vistikhetmaar zoekt het uit. Vissers melden steeds vaker dat ze rondom offshore windmolenparken dode bruinvissen vangen. Om op zoek te gaan naar een antwoord zijn zeezoogdierexperts Mardik Leopold van Wageningen Marine Research en Lonneke IJsseldijk van Universiteit Utrecht ingeschakeld. Bij het . . . Complete story »
Windmolen lekt extreem schadelijk gas [Windmills leak very dangerous gas]
[Windmills and switching stations contain an extremely heavy and harmful greenhouse gas as insulation material. Every year in The Netherlands alone hundreds of kilos of this sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) leak into the atmosphere. (translate article to English)] Windmolens en schakelstations bevatten een extreem zwaar en schadelijk broeikasgas als isolatiemateriaal. Jaarlijks lekken alleen al in ons land honderden kilo’s van dit zwavelhexafluoride de atmosfeer in. De Nederlandse netwerkbedrijven en drie van de grootste internationale bouwers van transmissie-apparatuur, ABB, Siemens en General Electric, . . . Complete story »
Attempt to improve sea life diversity at wind farms fails
An attempt to improve wildlife diversity at a wind farm in the North Sea has failed as 85% of oysters introduced there have died, reports the Volkskrant. Eight months after two environmental groups introduced the creatures to try to improve the quality of underwater life at the Luchterduinen wind farm, most of the 600 oysters have perished. The animals are thought to improve water quality and attract other wildlife, and the pilot study did however find that the 15% of . . . Complete story »
Windmill protesters placed on Dutch terror list
Dutch counter-terror officials on Monday highlighted “extremist” wind turbine protesters alongside Islamists and the far right in the country’s latest terrorism threat report. At least two companies building new wind turbines in the Netherlands have cancelled construction projects “out of fear of attacks and have lost millions” of euros in damage, the NCTV counter-terrorism agency said. “Extremist protest actions by a small group of anonymous activists against the erection of wind turbines in the Drenthe and Groningen provinces have continued . . . Complete story »
Windmill protesters put on Dutch terror list with Islamists
Dutch counter-terror officials have highlighted ‘extremist’ wind turbine protesters alongside Islamists and the far right in the country’s latest terrorism threat report. At least two companies building new wind turbines in the Netherlands have cancelled construction projects ‘out of fear of attacks and have lost millions’ of euros in damage, the NCTV counter-terrorism agency said. The NCTV’s latest report read: ‘Extremist protest actions by a small group of anonymous activists against the erection of wind turbines in the Drenthe and . . . Complete story »
Entrepreneur withdraws from Drenthe wind farm project over threats
Entrepreneur Ben Timmermans of company Avitec infra & milieu is withdrawing from Drenthe wind farm project De Monden due to a threatening letter he received. Groningen Provincial Deputy Fleur Gräper-van Koolwijk (D66) also received a threatening letter regarding a wind farm project in the province. The police are investigating, Dagblad van het Noorden reports. Timmermans received the threatening letter by post at his company in Nieuw-Buinen last week Wednesday. According to DVHN, it read: “What you have built up in . . . Complete story »
Provinces set to miss wind power targets as opposition to energy plans heats up
Most Dutch provinces are set to miss their target for wind energy by the end of next year as a result of legal delays and resistance by political parties. The transition to renewable energy is one of the issues dominating the campaign for next week’s provincial assembles, as planning and power generation falls within their remit. All 12 provinces signed an agreement in 2013 to build enough wind turbines to generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity by 2020. The Volkskrant reported . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind farms will still need taxpayer subsidies in 2022: audit office
It is not yet possible to build wind farms at sea without government subsidies, the national audit office said on Thursday. The audit office was looking at claims by economic affairs minister Eric Wiebes, who said earlier this year he expected the first offshore Dutch wind farm without government money would come on stream in 2022. The audit office said energy generation at sea is becoming cheaper, and will have gone down 40% in price by 2023, compared with 2013. . . . Complete story »
