Westphalia - Wind farms on the slopes of the Egge Hills
Sustainable development
978-3-14-100890-6 | Page 97 | Ill. 4
Overview
The small Egge Hills in East Westphalia offer the best natural conditions in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia for the use of wind energy. Wind farms are located close together here, including the largest wind farms in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Wind energy in Westphalia
The wind does not blow with the same strength everywhere. There are natural locations that are favourable for the use of wind energy, including wide, unwooded areas and mountain ranges, that are oriented at right angles to the main wind direction. These include the Egge Hills and neighbouring mountain ranges in East Westphalia. As the population density here is also not as high as in other parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, a remarkably large concentration zone of wind farms was developed here.
Expansion of onshore wind energy generation
The wind speed given refers to a height of 135 m above the ground. This corresponded to the hub height of many wind turbines in recent decades. But with advancing technical development, wind turbines are getting higher and higher. Their rotors reach even greater heights, where the wind blows even stronger and more continuously. From a technical point of view, it is now possible to erect large wind turbines in forests or close to forest edges. For reasons of nature conservation and landscape protection, however, this is only possible to a limited extent. A minimum distance must also be maintained from the nearest settlements. Wind priority areas are therefore defined in spatial planning procedures.
