Wind and solar farms should be co-owned by the residents in the area where they are located. Unfortunately, that is a hell of a job to accomplish.
The call for new wind and solar parks to be brought under local ownership is becoming increasingly louder. That’s great, but those who wanted that ownership have often been put behind prematurely in recent years. This is because local ownership of ‘wind and sun’ was never the government’s starting point.
The government and province do not care in whose hands wind and solar parks are owned. For years, the goal was to produce as much green energy as possible. National agreements have been made about this. Provinces that did not supply enough were threatened with instructions from the government. Afterwards, Groningen and Drenthe kept to the agreements. Other provinces were cutting corners and were not punished for this.
Property developers benefited
Property developers took advantage of the situation. With the help of municipalities, provinces and central government, they seized their opportunities. They obtained land positions and associated permits. They often canceled participation processes without significant participation because permission had already been given. Local residents who questioned the location were wrong. Discussions about compensation or an environmental fund did not get started due to a lack of trust. With few exceptions, distrust prevailed. Especially after the fierce resistance to the arrival of large-scale wind farms in the Peat Colonies. Local residents called for Groningen not to be turned into a provincial region again.
Eagerly resold
Developers now own large wind and solar parks in the North. A number of them have been eagerly resold recently. Municipalities have designated search areas and major developers are preying on land for new solar fields. In that ‘violence’, residents who see their landscape industrialized are asked to support local initiatives. No wonder there is suspicion.
Nevertheless, every proposal made to the environment must be assessed on its own merits. It is advisable for the population to keep a close eye on the initiators and to understand whether local ownership is being taken seriously. The conditions under which this happens are crucial. A critical approach to initiators is very justified given the past.