The wind turbines in the Veenkoloniën in general have been bothering him for years, but especially the turbine 430 meters from his facade. Frank Kwekel from Gasselternijveen experiences noise pollution, especially from the windmill closest to his house.
The results of the research report that the surrounding municipalities of the wind farm have drawn up do not surprise him. “My family doesn’t even want to hear me about it anymore,” says Kwekel, who is busy behind the farm every day. “It’s so noisy. And the low-frequency noise, I can’t sleep with the windows open at night. It’s very stressful. It’s pretty intense to live here these days.”
The main conclusion of the researchers is that low-frequency noise in the windmill area has increased since the arrival of the wind farm. Although there are no national standards for low-frequency sound, there are guidelines that are followed. According to the researchers, the noise levels are lower than the guidelines for low-frequency noise used in the Netherlands and can therefore be regarded as ‘acceptable’. Nevertheless, they recommend further research into wind turbines to see whether deviations are actually shown.
Kwekel’s ally Jan de Kok from Drouwenermond has been living in the area for over forty years. “One is more affected by low-frequency noise than the other,” he notes. “But if I now wake up at night to go to the toilet, for example, then I can’t fall asleep afterwards. While that was always the case in the past. It was also very quiet then. Now there is constant noise. It was always said that it will not be too bad, well, now it turns out to be disappointing.”
Despite the fact that the municipalities are now urging actions and solutions in a letter to the central government, signed by the colleges and municipal councils, De Kok has no hope that anything will change: “My confidence in the government and the windmill builders has already reached zero. dropped. I don’t think this will pay off.”
Kwekel prefers to see the closest windmill stop turning or disappear. “That would be the best solution for now. Then you can live with it,” he concludes.