Windmills are now part of the landscape, you can no longer ignore that in Drenthe. Not everyone is happy with that, and some people want to prevent them from having or getting a view of the gray giants.
The province of Drenthe aims to generate 285.5 megawatts of wind energy on land. This is stated in the provincial environmental vision. Most of the wind farms that are needed for this have already been built. So on paper there is no question of an expansion, but that does not mean that no new wind turbines can be added at all.
There are currently four municipalities in the province designated as search areas for wind energy: AA and Hunze, Borger-Odoorn, Emmen and Coevorden. This means that only here is seriously looked at the possibilities for wind farms. Nevertheless, municipalities or project developers can still come up with initiatives themselves, for example if there is a suitable location where there are few objections.
In addition, small wind turbines up to fifteen meters high in the entire province are allowed, think of farms. They do not provide the large, national wind power, but can contribute locally to sustainable energy generation.
In a few places in Drenthe, the possibility of placing new wind turbines is currently being looked at. One of those locations is Ruinerwold, where an investigation is conducted into the feasibility of a wind farm. The municipality has given permission to further explore this, but nothing has been decided yet.
Also in Meppel, on the site where originally Puy du Fou theme park would be, it is being investigated whether there is room for windmills. This plan is still in an early phase.
In addition, a small wind farm with three to five mills is planned in Erm and Westenesch, but the implementation of them is still waiting. Furthermore, there is talk at the Europapark in Emmen about a possible expansion of the existing wind farm, although there are no concrete plans for that yet.
In some parts of Drenthe, the chance of new wind turbines is excluded or at least very small. For example, the municipality of Assen has no plans for wind energy and fully focuses on solar parks and solar panels on roofs. Windmills do not return in municipal policy.
Wind farms are also excluded in kind 2000 areas, such as the Dwingelderveld and Fochteloërveen. These are protected nature areas where strict rules apply to spatial developments.
Nationally, stricter rules are considered for the placement of windmills. For example, a mandatory minimum distance to homes is being looked at. Possible scenarios are a distance of two, three or four times the tip height of a windmill. At a mill of 250 meters high, that would amount to a minimum distance of 500, 750 or even 1000 meters.
In addition, there is talk of a stricter noise standard. At the moment it is around 45 to 47 decibels, similar to the sound of a quiet residential area. If there are stricter rules, it can have major consequences for the possibilities to place windmills. In some scenarios, hardly any suitable locations left on land and the Netherlands will have to focus on wind energy at sea.
Wind energy policy is not cast in concrete. A good example is Overijssel, where solar parks were first allowed. After a political shift, that policy was changed and more focused on wind energy. This led to many new wind farms being planned in Overijssel.
Such a change can also happen in Drenthe. Although the province now focuses on solar energy in addition to wind farms, a new board can choose to make extra space for windmills. Do you want to know if something is going on in your area? Then it is best to check the policy of your municipality and keep an eye on whether new initiatives are being announced.
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