New noise emissions rules could bring nocturnal standstill for wind turbines in German state

A new regulation for noise emissions of wind turbines in Germany’s northern federal state of Schleswig-Holstein could mean that the turbines located near residential areas would have to be switched off overnight, Markus Billhardt writes in the Lübecker Nachrichten. Anti-wind power activist Holger Diedrich says the night-time noise limit value of 40 decibels for residential areas is being exceeded in many municipalities, and entire wind farms should be shut down at night to comply with the regulations. However, the state’s environment ministry says that only a few “individual turbines” are affected by the tighter rules, and that sufficient noise reduction has already been achieved by either throttling them down or by implementing mechanical upgrades.

See the CLEW factsheet Fighting windmills: when growth hits resistance for more information.