Municipalities to receive “wind power euro” in state of Brandenburg to increase acceptance

Municipalities in the north-eastern German state of Brandenburg are to receive a share of the profits generated by wind farms, reports public broadcaster rbb. The state government adopted a law which obliges operators to pay a special levy of 10,000 euros per year to municipalities in a three-kilometre radius of new turbines. With the "wind power euro" regulation, the state aims to increase acceptance among the population of wind parks needed for the transition to a decarbonised energy system. At almost 4,000, Brandenburg has the second-highest number of turbines of all German states (Lower Saxony has more than 6,000).

Wind turbines have become one of the most visible components of the Energiewende and increasingly shape the landscape in many parts of the country. But Germany’s most important renewable energy source does not only have supporters – numerous citizen initiatives lament the turbines’ effects on people, wildlife and natural scenery. Acceptance of the technology tends to increase with exposure to it, but opposition is already seeping into the political discourse, challenging new projects across the county. In many regions, the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has used opposition to wind farms as a campaign issue. Brandenburg is one of three eastern states where voters will head to the polls for regional elections in autumn.