Pinwheels instead of Silberner Gams?

Created: 05/03/2022, 7:30 p.m

By: Susanne Greiner

Would wind turbines be possible directly in Penzing after air traffic ceased and the 10H rule was relaxed in Landsberger Fluren?

© Marcus Brandt/dpa/symbol image

District – Four lonely wind turbines turn their rotors in the Fuchstal.

They will soon be joined by three more wind turbines.

Otherwise it looks in the district but mau.

Not only because of the controversial 10H rule, but also the flight operations in Penzing made the use of wind energy in the district impossible.

Bavaria has now relaxed 10H: In so-called priority areas, it is omitted, the distance from a wind turbine to the next settlement only has to be 1,000 meters, no longer ten times the hub height.

And there are no more flight operations in Penzing either.

Renewable energies should and must be expanded.

Maybe one or the other wind turbine in the district would be possible?

A good ten years ago, the topic of wind turbines in the area around Landsberg was examined with a site survey.

At that time, various areas in Landsberger Flur, but also in the Ammersee area, were specifically in mind, for example areas in Westerholz, near Stofferberg, near Schwifting, Geltendorf, Weil or the area between Pürgen and Hofstetten.

However, the Bundeswehr clearly rejected this vague idea: mainly because of the air traffic in Penzing, but also Lechfeld and Altenstadt led to the Bundeswehr declaring the entire district "a taboo zone".

Even if the Bundeswehr is basically "sympathetic to wind power", an urgent follow-up by the then District Administrator Walter Eichner and wind experts from Cologne had little success: Penzing remained taboo, the Bundeswehr stated, the Lechfeld control zones had to be further taken into account.

The area below civil airspace should always be kept free of structures in order to be able to direct aircraft in all directions.

So much for the status 2012. Now air traffic in Penzing is history - in addition to the current war in the Ukraine including the energy problem, this was one of the reasons why the city council faction of the Greens submitted an application for a potential analysis of wind power on Landsberger Fluren in the committee in March - an analysis, which do not yet exist.

In 2012, possible wind turbines were already being examined "around Landsberg in the forests", reports Kristina Willkomm from the planning office Sing, which was commissioned at the time. But due to the strict no of the Bundeswehr - which almost extended to the Fuchstal wind turbines - they were not been deepened.

Clear yes or no

The motion of the City Council Greens calls for a planning office to determine possible locations for wind turbines.

A solution with 10H and one without should be considered.

The application was accepted, the city is now looking for a suitable planning office, confirms Second Mayor Moritz Hartmann (Greens).

There is definitely potential in terms of wind speeds, especially with higher systems - Hartmann is thinking of at least 130 meters.

"But we wanted a fundamental decision beforehand, i.e. wind energy yes or no," and that before the revision of the land use plan is completed.

Because once the fundamental decision has been made, one can also become concrete accordingly.

The land use plan is crucial.

In it, the required priority areas can be identified in which, according to the current decision of the Free State, the 10H rule would not apply, i.e. the distance between the wind turbine and the next settlement must be only 1,000 meters.

The municipality of Fuchstal had identified such priority areas in the sub-area use plan.

"It became legally effective on December 31, 2013," reminds Mayor Erwin Karg.

At that time, 10H did not work yet, the minimum distance there was set at 2,000 meters.

The wind turbines in the Fuchstal are 206 meters high, the three new systems even 250 meters.

“With 10H, we would now have one system less in Fuchstal.

And two of the three new wind turbines would not be possible either.”

rare species

At the time, he planned 44 plants, says Karg - of course only as a precaution, since experience has shown that at least half are not approved due to various criteria: for example, if only one plant is planned, as in Thaining, which the red kite then thwarts.

There is now also the option of bird monitoring and switching off the system if birds get close to the rotors.

In general, however, each system must be approved individually.

In addition to protected animal and plant species, sight lines from monuments could also prevent wind turbines.

For example, the line of sight from the World Heritage Wieskirche must remain unobstructed, says Karg.

And then, of course, you have to take air traffic into account.

And this is where wind energy seems to continue to fail, even if the Bundeswehr Aviation Office no longer gives such a strict no as it did in 2012.

“The airspace for which Penzing Airport was responsible has always been used by Lechfeld Airport.

Since the abandonment of the Penzing airfield, the Lechfeld airfield alone has this airspace," a spokesman for the aviation authority points out.

So everything as before?

Not quite.

"Of course, some of the restrictions for wind turbines are now gone," he says.

Construction height restrictions due to approach procedures from Lechfeld on the northern edge of the district would still have to be taken into account.

When approving structures below military airspace - including wind turbines - one is bound by "national and international guidelines", according to the spokesman for the aviation authority.

The restrictions on the construction of wind turbines depended "on the exact location in relation to the airfield and air traffic control facilities".

Approval can only be considered once the exact coordinates and the planned construction heights are known.

The City of Landsberg's approach of having a planning office determine suitable locations will hopefully have a speedy result.

Which can then be followed by any kind of measures.