Eight wind turbines in the district: In the opinion of Jan Hoppenstedt, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Fürstenfeldbruck, this is how many are necessary to achieve the regional energy transition.
But the political hurdles are great.
Fürstenfeldbruck
- Catastrophic floods, huge forest fires, more and more drought summer. In view of the effects of climate change, calls for the energy transition are getting louder. “Everyone wants the same thing,” says Hoppenstedt. “So why don't we just do it?” The will that the managing director of Stadtwerke means is for the district to be 100 percent supplied with electricity from renewable energies. Hoppenstedt believes that this cannot be achieved without wind power.
The municipal utilities in the district are involved in two plants in Malching and Mammendorf.
Both are operated economically, as Hoppenstedt emphasizes.
There are other possible locations.
In principle, the local authorities there would also be open to wind power.
But because nothing is ready for a decision, the head of the municipal utility does not want to say which positions are involved.
Wind power and civil aviation
The fact that the realization is so difficult is due to the high hurdles that have been set by politics.
One of them is civil aviation, because of which the height of the wind turbines in the region is limited to no longer economical 200 meters.
It would take 250 meters.
Markus Wäcker, project developer and consultant for renewable energies at the municipal utilities, does not consider the specified distance values realistic: "We are talking about altitudes of 500 meters, which are rather unusual in civil aviation." Hoppenstedt calls for a round table with politics and civil and military aviation, in which the actually necessary heights are redefined.
Wind power and endangered species
One also has to talk about the wind energy decree, in which species protection is regulated.
It names many birds and bats, "which are not endangered species here," says Wäcker.
That gives the Association for Landscape Conservation and Species Protection (VLAB) many grounds for complaint.
Hoppenstedt considers it a scandal "that the VLAB actually uses the wind energy decree improperly".
There are no indications that the wind turbines in Malching and Mammendorf killed animals.
The wind power and the drag
And last but not least, the Bavarian special route of the 10H rule must also be discussed.
This states that wind turbines must be ten times their height from the residential area.
The rule itself is not the problem at all, says Hoppenstedt.
"I don't think it's so wrong, because it gives the planning authority back to the municipalities."
What is more difficult is how to deal with the rule.
It would be understood as an absolute value, although it can be undermined by a land-use plan.
Many municipalities would hesitate because of the expected resistance, so Hoppenstedt.
The hurdles would make wind power a lengthy and expensive project.
Politicians must therefore pull together with energy suppliers.
"We are ready to invest, but it has to pay off in the end."
Wind power: headwind for the Prime Minister
An economical operation of wind power plants in the region is possible.
This emphasizes Stadtwerke managing director Jan Hoppenstedt in view of the claim recently made by Prime Minister Markus Söder that there is not enough wind in Bavaria.
"That's not right, we prove it every day."
Hoppenstedt refers to the two plants in Malching and Mammendorf.
With yields of 6000 (Mammendorf) and 5700 (Malching) megawatt hours, both would be ten to 18 percent above the forecast annual plan.
Markus Wäcker from Stadtwerke: "There were even years when we had more wind than in the north."
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