World's largest locally-owned onshore wind farm opens in Zeewolde

The largest onshore wind farm in the Netherlands opened in Zeewolde on Friday. According to the initiators, it is also the largest in the world that is wholly owned by people living in the surrounding area. The wind farm has 83 wind turbines owned by over 200 farmers and other local residents. The wind turbines will supply green energy to around 300,000 households.

Onshore wind farms often provoke resistance from locals. According to director Sjoerd Sieburgh Sjoerdsma, the project in Zeewolde shows that things can be done differently. “You can be angry about the possible arrival of a wind farm. You can also see it as an opportunity, take the initiative, and ensure that burdens are turned into benefits. And that happened here,” he said.

The fact that the wind farm is entirely in the hands of people from the area is remarkable. Other wind farms in which locals participate are often partly owned by companies, such as the Krammer wind farm on the border of Zeeland and Zuid-Holland.

The Zeewolde wind farmers will sell their electricity to energy company Vattenfall for the next 15 years.