Junge Donau wind farm: successful year despite critical voices!

Junge Donau wind farm: successful year despite critical voices!

in the heart of Baden-Württemberg, more precisely on the Winterberg between Tuttlingen and Ippingen, there have been five state-of-the-art wind turbines of the Vestas V150 wind turbines for a year. These systems are not only impressive in their technical equipment, but also a visible sign for the transition to renewable energy. With an output of 4.2 megawatts, a rotor diameter of 150 meters and a hub height of 166 meters, they represent an important step in the energy transition.

Although there were initially concerns about the reliability of the wind turbines, the operator of the wind farm, the local partners Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, now has good news. This company combines several municipal energy suppliers from the region, including municipal utilities from Filstal, Schwäbisch Hall and Tübingen. According to this, the wind farm produced exceptionally good 51,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity in the first year, which exceeds the original expectations of 50,000 MWh.

technical challenges and standards

Despite this positive balance, there were also challenges. In the first year of operation, technical standards repeatedly occurred. Some of these were due to the weather, but other factors such as bats and maintenance work contributed to the fact that the systems were not always in operation. Ulrich Schermaul, the press spokesman for Stadtwerke Tübingen, admits that the wind conditions were above average during the first 12 months, which contributed to the high electricity production.

The initial technical problems and the associated inquiries from residents led to a certain discomfort. Nevertheless, public opinion about the project now seems to have become more positive. Although the construction of the wind turbines was previously controversial and legal disputes resulted, the situation has calmed down since the opening in September 2023 and the operators receive more positive feedback. There are currently no plans for further wind farm projects in the Tuttlingen region.

future developments in wind power