German Resistance: Furious Rural Residents Bring Wind Farm Construction to Dead Halt

Much to the horror of wind power promoters, all eyes are on Germany at the minute, with its wind industry in freefall, turbine manufacturers in ruin and rural residents in revolt.

In 2019 less than 200 turbines were erected onshore [a figure of 325 is given below which apparently includes offshore turbines] and a trifling 160 are planned for 2020, so far. Over the last two decades, heavily subsidised wind power outfits managed to spear almost 30,000 of these things across rural Germany.

Driven mad by practically incessant, turbine generated low-frequency noise and infra-sound, wind farm neighbours got organised, and fought back. There are now hundreds of anti-wind industry groups across Germany.

In addition, many groups and individuals have launched litigation against developers and government to either prevent wind farms from being built, or to seek substantial financial compensation for the loss of the use and enjoyment of their homes.

A full-scale revolt by rural folk sick and tired of being forced to live with these things is one of the reasons for the rapid and staggering collapse in new wind farm construction in Germany.

The other is that subsidies have been slashed, wrecking the business model of wind turbine and solar panel manufacturers (as well as the parasites that feed on those subsidies). Tens of thousands of their workers have been sacked and numerous operators have filed for bankruptcy: Wind Power Investment Collapses as Germany’s Wind Industry Faces Total Armageddon

Of course, the rent seekers and the politicians who run with them are apoplectic, operating with a mix of confusion, fear, anxiety and anger.

With the vast majority of Germans now dead set against industrial wind turbines being speared across their fatherland, renewable energy rent seekers and the politicians helping them to promote their beleaguered industry will have their work cut out. As No Tricks Zone reports below.

German Weekly ‘FOCUS’: German Wind Energy On The Verge Of “Collapse”…”Protests Booming”
No Tricks Zone
Pierre Gosselin
1 February 2020

Despite the German government’s renewed commitment to meeting its CO2 emissions target by expanding wind energy, online weekly FOCUS here reports that wind energy appears to be on the verge of collapse and that “German climate targets are in danger.”

Lowest activity since ‘Energiewende’ began in 2000
FOCUS cites wind industry officials who say that the building of wind parks has reached the lowest point in 20 years. The industry associations are calling on the government to take action and for approval procedures for wind farms to be simplified and acceptance by residents increased.

Falling acceptance 
Many German states have imposed strict setback rules to keep wind parks away from residential areas. For example, the 10H rules is in effect in Bavaria. Here, a wind turbines cannot be located near residents at a distance that is closer than 10 times its height, making many wind projects in the south German state impossible. The industry is pressuring governments to soften the rules.

Yet an online poll conducted by FOCUS shows that almost two thirds of respondents are not in favor or are undecided on reducing setback distances.

Protest against wind energy “booming these days”
Earlier in 2019, Germany’s centre-left Tagesspiegel here reported, “The protest against wind energy is booming these days” and according analysts, “about 1000 citizens’ initiatives are currently fighting against the wind industry in Germany” and that “they are very well networked”.

55% less turbines built in 2019
The lack of acceptance among the public — along with economic and technical obstacles — has put the brakes on wind park construction. FOCUS writes: “According to the industry associations Bundesverband Windenergie (BWE) and VDMA Power Systems, only 325 new wind turbines with 1078 megawatts were built in 2019. This was 55 percent less than in the previous year.”
No Tricks Zone