Wind Farm Dennin

The Dennin Wind Farm is one of the first wind energy projects to apply the Citizens and Municipal Participation Act (BüGemBeteilG) introduced in 2016. In consultation with the Ministry of Energy and all affected municipalities within a 5km radius of the wind turbines, a special scheme was developed, under which the municipalities receive annual payments that lie in the five-figure range through several agreements. The municipalities can largely use this revenue at their discretion to fund projects desired by the citizens, which would not be possible without this income. In addition to a base payment, the revenues are linked to the output of the wind farm: the higher the performance of the installed wind turbines, the greater the benefit to the municipalities.

The authority responsible for calculating the impact of wind energy installations (WEA) on air traffic (Deutsche Flugsicherung, DFS) has, for many years, used specific, unchanged error calculation formulas to determine the negative effects of WEA (such as tower obstacles and rotor movement) on radar systems.

These formulas have now been corrected following extensive research carried out by various institutes, meaning that the required distance between WEA and certain radar systems can be significantly reduced. In the case of Dennin, this means that no negative impacts on a nearby radar system are expected at the planned site.

Even before the construction of the wind farm, Prokon had signed contracts with various providers of eco-accounts in the project area to implement nature conservation measures, which are permanently secured by land registry entries. All measures were coordinated in advance with the responsible nature conservation authority. Examples include the rewetting of the Rossiner Wiese, hedge and tree plantings near Rebelow, as well as the establishment and long-term preservation of species-rich grasslands near Wolgast. All measures were implemented within a maximum distance of 30km from the intervention site. Prokon provided a total of a high six-figure sum for the implementation.

The wind turbines – like all aviation obstacles over 100m in total height – are required to install so-called aviation lighting. At the same time, Prokon has voluntarily planned from the outset to additionally install a demand-driven night marking system (BNK). For this purpose, a radar system was installed, which detects approaching aircraft and activates the red night lighting in good time. Once the aircraft has moved away, the lighting is switched off again. In this way, the night-time blinking in Dennin can be reduced by over 90% on average. This type of lighting will become mandatory in the future. Prokon took early action here to provide the best possible protection for local residents.