As the Dutch government prepares to build more power-generating windmills, the debate about the pros and cons of what used to be the country’s national symbol is raging once again.
According to the Royal Dutch Society for Engineers (KIVI), wind energy won’t be economically viable for decades to come. Technically, it’s possible to build an offshore `wind park’ capable of generating 20 percent of the Dutch demand for electricity. But the Dutch effort will cost 15 to 25 billion euro and will only reduce the country’s CO2-emissions by a slim 5 percent.
The reason for this is that windmills are expensive and generate only so much electricity. According to the critics, wind itself is the culprit: wind is too volatile to generate substantial amounts of energy. But proponents of wind energy, led by the TU Delft professor Gijs van Kuik, point out that electricity generated by windmills costs just as much as traditionally generated electricity. Besides, proponents argue, it isn’t the government that has to come up with the billions of euro’s needed: wind parks will be run by the private sector. Van Kuik points out that the KIVI calculations are based on unusual high figures: the KIVI bases its conclusions on 10 GW of offshore wind power, while the Dutch only plan for 6 GW.
The KIVI, who organized a debate between the proponents and the critics, concluded that “the employment of wind energy has become a political choice”. [The Dutch government] may choose to spend 15 to 25 billion euro to cut down the use of fossil fuels by 5 percent,” a report issued by the Royal Society states. “I would have made a different point,” Van Kuik says. “You also get 20 percent reduction of the country’s need for electricity generated by traditional power plants.”
While the technicians’ wind debate rages on, the windmills face increasing political resistance. Only a few weeks ago, word got out that the `wind provinces’ of North-Holland and Friesland are reluctant to support a big `wind park’ near the Afsluitdijk, the dyke that connects both provinces. Another windy province, the polder Flevoland, has announced that future plans for windmills will have to meet strict political demands, as the province’s inhabitants complain about `pollution of the horizon’ by wind turbines.
As the Dutch government prepares to build more power-generating windmills, the debate about the pros and cons of what used to be the country’s national symbol is raging once again. According to the Royal Dutch Society for Engineers (KIVI), wind energy won’t be economically viable for decades to come. Technically, it’s possible to build an offshore `wind park’ capable of generating 20 percent of the Dutch demand for electricity. But the Dutch effort will cost 15 to 25 billion euro and will only reduce the country’s CO2-emissions by a slim 5 percent.
The reason for this is that windmills are expensive and generate only so much electricity. According to the critics, wind itself is the culprit: wind is too volatile to generate substantial amounts of energy. But proponents of wind energy, led by the TU Delft professor Gijs van Kuik, point out that electricity generated by windmills costs just as much as traditionally generated electricity. Besides, proponents argue, it isn’t the government that has to come up with the billions of euro’s needed: wind parks will be run by the private sector. Van Kuik points out that the KIVI calculations are based on unusual high figures: the KIVI bases its conclusions on 10 GW of offshore wind power, while the Dutch only plan for 6 GW.
The KIVI, who organized a debate between the proponents and the critics, concluded that “the employment of wind energy has become a political choice”. [The Dutch government] may choose to spend 15 to 25 billion euro to cut down the use of fossil fuels by 5 percent,” a report issued by the Royal Society states. “I would have made a different point,” Van Kuik says. “You also get 20 percent reduction of the country’s need for electricity generated by traditional power plants.”
While the technicians’ wind debate rages on, the windmills face increasing political resistance. Only a few weeks ago, word got out that the `wind provinces’ of North-Holland and Friesland are reluctant to support a big `wind park’ near the Afsluitdijk, the dyke that connects both provinces. Another windy province, the polder Flevoland, has announced that future plans for windmills will have to meet strict political demands, as the province’s inhabitants complain about `pollution of the horizon’ by wind turbines.
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