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Several sites have witnessed protests against politicians, to rein in wind projects

—Axel Pihl-Andersen

July 22, 2010

More and more neighbors are protesting against new, large wind turbines on land, and in Thy Østerild is thus far from the only example of bitter confrontation between the authorities and wind neighbors.

The six month-old association, National Association Neighbors to Fight Wind Turbines, has already signed up 40 citizen groups who have gone to battle against planned or existing mills, and a dozen more are on their way into the association.

“People are fed up with having their property deteriorate and sleep ruined by noise from large wind turbines at 130 meters and up to 200 meters. We receive constant calls from civic groups that will be reported in,” says association President Boye Jensen Odsherred.

Several places have prevented protests mill setups or municipality had to hold back.

For example, Odsherred Municipality, where the Swedish energy giant Vattenfall had to give up three large wind turbines planned, as a narrow majority in the city council said no to two of them after heavy pressure from protesting neighbors.

In Svendborg, the city council recently decided henceforth to refuse permission for turbines over 80 meters after a local citizens’ group on Tåsinge protested violently against the two wind turbines at nearly 130 meters, which were erected in the autumn.

The neighbors complain, not least over the noise, and it has made an impression.

“The violent protests and the uncertainty [?] of low-frequency noise have persuaded us not to expose our citizens to several large mills,” said Deputy Mayor Lars Erik Hornemann.

In Esbjerg there are plans for four large experimental wind turbines at 200 meters in height near a parcelhuskvarter [?].

“It is not reasonable, and politicians are trying to lock [?] the project through the back door . . . ,” says Thomas Barrett, who represents a protest group of a couple hundred people.

Editor’s note:  This article has been translated from Danish, using Google translator.  It’s certainly not a perfect translation, but close enough.