Column
Tonie
Mudde
Tonie Mudde is science
editor at de Vokskrant
newspaper. He studied
aerospace engineering
in Delft.
HURRAY
FOR WIND TURBINES!
On my daily run, I pass some huge banners with a clear message: no wind turbines here – they make you ill. According to the academic literature, they are partly right.
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) states: “there is a clear relationship between the noise level of wind turbines and nuisance.” Activists also highlight other disadvantages, such as being a blot on the landscape and disruptive to birds.
All true, I think, as I jog past the banners and posters in the windows. But I also wonder: what about the climate? And, recently: what about Putin? Transitioning to renewable energy fast has never been so important, and wind turbines are a powerful weapon for achieving that in our windy country. Because the Netherlands is so densely populated, you can’t put wind turbines only in places that don’t affect anyone. Besides, it’s illusory to think that the green revolution can succeed simply by putting wind turbines in the North Sea: it may look like there’s endless water, but in reality, nature, shipping, fisheries and military exercises are all fighting for space.
The RIVM reveals that the amount of nuisance experienced from wind turbines strongly depends on the extent to which local residents have been involved in the project and whether they also benefit financially. Sounds logical: if a megaturbine suddenly appears overhead in my neighbourhood, I will hate it immediately. But if I know that much of the proceeds from the wind are going to the local library,
the football club around the corner and a brand-new park, that changes my feelings about that view. Feel free to rotate, my friend, it’s making money for the neighbourhood. Also crucial: the feeling that you have control and can call someone to account for the wind turbine, just like you can talk to your neighbours when they play their music too loud. Broadcaster Human interviewed a woman who initially opposed wind turbines in her area, but now happily accepts them. At the WindpowerNijmegen windfarm, software calculates when local residents may be affected by its shadow and temporarily switches off the turbine. If people are still affected, it’s not a case of ‘computer says no’, you can actually send a message to someone who will turn it off. The woman interviewed admits that she hasn’t done that for two years. But the fact that she can is what makes all the difference.
@Portret: Sam Rentmeester