Rotor blade demolition shocks Uckermark: What's behind it?

Rotor blade demolition shocks Uckermark: What's behind it?

A loud bang made Carmen Flemming, operator of the Rosenhof Flemming in Karlstein, sit up and take notice. This came from a wind turbine in the nearby Lübbenow 3 wind farm, where an approximately 70 meter long rotor blade broke off. The incident occurred during the commissioning of the facility, which has been in operation since September 26, 2019 and has a hub height of 123 meters. Unnerved by the sudden bang that startled her while she was watering the plants, she now has serious concerns about the safety of wind turbines in the area, especially when it comes to the noise that would be unbearable for her guests.

The cause of the accident is still unknown. A request to the operator Notus Energie in Potsdam remained unanswered. There have been similar incidents in the region in the past. For example, on January 3, 2017, a rotor blade of a system that had been in operation since 2003 broke off. The operator, EnergieKontor AG Bremen, was also surprised at the time and commissioned a report to investigate the cause, as a defect in a pitch control sensor was considered a possible explanation.

Defects and safety concerns

Before this current incident, several accidents at wind turbines in Brandenburg had already been registered. A small inquiry by the CDU parliamentary group in August 2023 counted five such incidents in just two and a half years. It is also noticeable that there are no comprehensive statistics on accidents at wind turbines in Brandenburg. The state government also admits that there is no complete data on the dismantling of wind turbines.

This incident is in the context of the constant expansion of wind energy in Germany. Wind power emerged as a significant source of energy in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the market has continued to evolve since then. According to Windbranche.de, the industry has been stabilizing at a lower level since 2021, after having seen both ups and downs in the past decades. High tender volumes of over 11,000 MW are planned for 2024, which could stimulate the expansion of the systems. By the end of 2024, over 30,000 wind turbines with a total of around 72,700 MW will already be in operation in Germany.

The look into the future

Wind energy continues to play a key role for Germany, not only for environmental reasons but also economically. Employment in the wind industry, which reached a peak of 164,500 employees in 2016, has currently fallen to around 124,600 employees. But with the ambitious expansion goals, the need for skilled workers is increasing again. Information on personnel developments in the industry can be found at wind-energie.de.

New steel plates that were laid to transport additional wind turbines between Prenzlau and Uckerland indicate that expansion in the region is continuing to progress. However, Carmen and Maik Flemming's skepticism regarding noise pollution remains a constant topic. Balancing a sustainable energy future and the quality of life of local residents will likely be one of the challenges the region will have to grapple with in the coming years.