Far from being in love with these things – as the gullible press here would have us believe – the Germans that are forced to endure them, hate them just as much as everyone else in the World.
In this wrap up of a report from Die Welt by NoTricksZone, set-upon rural Germans have had – as we say ‘a gutful’ of the wind industry; and what comes with it.
Taking matters into their own gnarly, weathered hands, German farming communities are in open rebellion.
It’s an uprising that includes farmers blockading turbine construction sites with their tractors; and stealthy stormtroopers dropping a MET mast, used to measure wind speeds, that presage the threat of industrial wind turbine construction.
The destruction of MET masts is a pretty standard community defence tactic around the globe (see our posts here and here and here) – but, that taciturn and normally law-abiding Germans are resorting to guerilla methods is a fair sign that they’re not going to take it any longer.
German Daily ‘Die Welt’: “People Rebelling Against Wind Power” …Viewed As “A Destructive Force”
No Tricks Zone
Pierre Gosselin
2 August 2016
The article starts by featuring technology fan Volker Tschischke, who was once an ardent proponent of renewable energy – until wind turbines were built close to his residence and encircled his home village of Etteln. Now he leads a citizens initiative against the construction of wind park. The turbines “have driven him to resistance“, Die Welt writes.
Local politicians are no longer serving the interests of the local people, but rather “are rolling out the red carpet for wind power companies” and appear to be “no longer listening to the people and about the concerns of their everyday lives,” the national German daily writes.
A “destructive force”
Die Welt describes an Energiewende (transition to renewable energies) that is “dividing the people“, where those who live in big cities and thus not effected by the blight are open to wind parks, while those living in the countryside are fed up and fiercely resisting them. Die Welt reports that people across rural Germany “no longer view the Energiewende as a necessary national project, but as a destructive force.”
Now, ever so gradually, it even appears that Berlin is getting the message as leading parties see their poll numbers dropping. Die Welt writes that Berlin is now throttling the expansion of wind parks and working to “deescalate the conflict“.
“Ruined and destroyed for generations”
As an example of blight and destruction, Die Welt cites the area surrounding the central city of Paderborn, quoting a local resident who is thinking about packing up and leaving: “Here the living area is being ruined and destroyed for generations.”
Even though Berlin is scrambling to put the brakes on the uncontrolled spread of wind turbine littering across the rural landscape, local residents often remain powerless against the mighty wind industrialists and projects that have already been proposed. And even when local political leaders side up with their residents against the parks, Die Welt describes a David versus Goliath fight:
On one side there’s the mayor of the town and some of his staff, and on the other side there are corporation-like companies that hire staffs of lawyers.”
In such cases the big wind companies have an easy time pile-driving their projects through, Die Welt writes.
Opponents resort to sabotage
Also wind park developers often promise towns and villages cash-flow from wind projects, But as Die Welt reports, most never end up seeing any money. “The promise of business tax revenue is a ‘large fairy tale’.”
Die Welt also adds that wind park opponents are often labeled “grumblers“, “troublemakers” or “Energiewende blockers who use ludicrous ways to try to stop the success of the Energiewende.”
The conflict has even escalated to the point where opponents have even sabotaged a wind measurement instrument used to check the feasibility of a possible future project. Farmers are even blocking deforestation equipment with their tractors, Die Welt reports.
Lawless, Wild West conditions
In other locations it seems that wind energy development resembles the Wild West where there is a complete lack of law and order. Wind developers have corrupted the planning, permitting and building process. Die Welt writes sometimes sleazy towns act as planner, permitting authority, builder and operator all in one. Nothing stands in the way. There are no checks and balances. Only a few profiteers. The German daily writes:
The county of Aurich is a stakeholder in wind park projects. For the investor that is totally practical. He is thus practically the funder, impact study conductor and project approver all in one.”
Whether its solar power or wind energy, there’s a common thread: A very select few are profiting hugely while the rest of society are left to clean up a huge industrial, financial and environmental mess.
No Tricks Zone
STOP THESE THINGS 
Everyone who ever voted for or “believes ” wind turbines are a good idea, has a working refrigerator. The concepts are contradictory.
Two ways any Government can bring a stop to this nightmare without having to step down from their stance on wanting to reduce CO2 levels:
1. Stop financially supporting it
2. Provide free legal advice and representation to those fighting proposals.
Which will help provide a level playing field allowing the industry to truly stand on its own two feet or is that stand on one wobbly leg with two arms and the other leg flaying around erratically.
But this could only be possible if Governments have the willpower, the guts and the peoples interests at heart.
Reblogged this on Climatism and commented:
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
Reblogged this on Jaffer's blog.
Roll up, roll up, everybody’s a winner! Well that seems to be the message coming out of todays COAG meeting in Canberra concerning Australia’s power generation and the networks.
The major announcement coming out seems to be around making the gas market more open and transparent, thereby driving down prices through more competition.
The wind industry will say gas is a transitional fuel allowing more wind farms to be built.
Has STT an opinion on whether more gas will enable more wind farms eventually or that cheap gas with its lower emissions than coall plus its reliability will kill off the wind industry?
There is a shortage of baseload power or plant that is able to run as baseload, not a shortage of gas.