Some of the questions that are often asked about onshore wind power.
Over the past two decades, the noise of wind turbines has drastically reduced. Advances in engineering have made mechanical components much quieter so that the most dominant sound is that of the wind interacting with the rotor blades. Even in quiet rural settings, the sound of the wind is often louder than the turbines.
Koehler understands that environmental impacts are a genuine source of local concern and would like to reassure residents that there will be opportunities for them to meet the team directly through in-person events and face-to-face meetings.
An extensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be carried out to assess the potential environmental, social and economic impact of the proposed wind farm. Our initial surveys suggest that the project is likely to cause minimal impact to wildlife.
RSPB has indicated that it is possible to limit any potential negative impacts on birds and other wildlife by situating onshore wind farm developments appropriately to avoid migration routes and the most sensitive areas for nature, such as those frequently used by rare and threatened species.
The location of the turbines has been chosen with consideration for the local landscape, minimising visual impact.
Multiple studies have found that wind farms have no significant long-term impact on property values. Koehler is committed to driving economic development and job growth to their host communities, which benefits landowners and land values in the area. While some potential property purchasers may be hesitant to purchase land near wind turbines, academic studies show that the positive impacts of a wind energy project either balance or outweigh any negative impacts.
Wind turbines are highly effective at what they do, converting a large proportion of the available wind resource into electricity, in a sustainable way. A modern wind turbine produces electricity 70-85% of the time, but it generates different outputs depending on the wind speed. Over the course of a year, it will typically generate about 24% of the theoretical maximum output. This is known as its capacity factor. The capacity factor of conventional power stations is on average 50%-80%. Due to stoppages for maintenance or breakdowns, no power plant generates power for 100% of the time.
Our national electricity grid is designed to have some limited overcapacity at all times and constantly balances supply and demand for electricity. They work closely with major electricity users and monitor and predict both household and industrial domestic electricity use. To keep the grid stable, they can instruct most power generators to increase or decrease their output as needed. When wind farms are generating, the National Grid can ask other generators to scale back their electricity production. This makes wind power a valuable tool in balancing supply and demand more flexibly and affordably than other forms of generation. In turn, this reduces our reliance on fossil fuels, cuts emissions and improves air quality.
Koehler Renewable Energy (KRE) is a family-owned company founded in 2012 as a subsidiary of the Koehler Group headquartered in Oberkirch, in the southwest of Germany. With the company establishment of Koehler Renewable Energy UK Ltd. in September 2021, Koehler Renewable Energy expanded its activities in the UK and other European countries. The company is based in Dundee, Scotland, and focuses on onshore wind and hydropower projects in the UK. We pride ourselves on meaningful and ongoing community engagement and are committed to supporting economic growth and collaboration within the community.
Koehler Renewable Energy is sustainably shaping the energy transition in Germany and also abroad. Koehler Renewable Energy’s experts cover all stages of the value chain: acquisition, planning, development and the seamless long-term ownership and operation of the plants. Together with business partners, numerous projects have already been implemented in the fields of biomass cogeneration, onshore wind power, photovoltaics and hydropower. New energy technologies are also in focus.
Together with various partners, our experienced team has already implemented projects worth several hundred million euros that generate over 268,000 MWh of electricity, over 23,000 MWh of heat and over 638,000 tons of steam annually (as of June 2022). Koehler Renewable Energy is thus making an important contribution to Koehler Group’s sustainability strategy, with the aim of covering all the energy required for the production of Koehler Paper by generating renewable energy with its own plants by 2030 at the latest.
The maximum capacity of the planned wind farm will be 56MW and is set to include a battery energy storage system (BESS). 36MW (Wind) and 20MW (BESS).