The Windwahn Story

In the 1990s, Jutta and her partner began searching for an idyllic farmhouse in Germany’s northern countryside. Instead they stumbled upon a 17-year nightmare.

Ten months after moving in, wind turbines were erected nearby and brought with them persistent ill-health for the local residents. We encourage you to watch the video below and read Jutta’s story below.

The Windwahn-Story 

How a dream became a nightmare

A true story about the wind mania in northern Germany, of two people who moved to the countryside in order to realize their dream of a peaceful life and work in the midst of nature and now, 17 years later, find themself in a permanent nightmare.

Paradise in the countryside to live and work

When we moved to the countryside in 1994 we were no wind power opponents. Generating energy through wind power could be useful, but we weren’t informed enough about pros and cons, so we wanted us to afford no opinion.

When searching for a suitable Farmstead on the countryside, we were interested in only one thing: a scenic and peaceful environment in a natural setting with a rich biodiversity and a vast horizon.
This was what we found in the Wilstermarsch in the southwest of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany in a small community that was named Neuendorf.

We had been townsfolk before but active friends of nature. Intact, natural surroundings with a wide variety of biodiversity of grassland birds, water birds and songbirds, birds of prey, owls and bats was an important criterion for us in buying an old farm which was in need of extensive renovation work. The associated garden was with no charm, unkempt, the adjoining land corresponded to the usual over-fertilized and nature-free agriculture standard.

In the southeast, a few hundred yards away, were standing three wind turbines, nearly 50 meters high, which attracted no attention, neither by noise nor by shadow flickers. We asked the farmer, who wanted to sell the house, if more wind turbines or other industrial buildings in the surrounding area probably are planned. He assured us that this was not the case.

The asking price for such an old house which was highly in need of renovation and the unkempt garden was too high. But the location was magical. A paradise like we dreamt of, in which we wanted to grow old and we were willing to invest much time and effort and to pay such an exorbitant price.

The nightmare began

10 months after our move, in the middle of our time-consuming renovation work and garden planning aimed at making our grounds as nature-friendly as possible to realize our dream, wind turbines were erected between 320 and 420 metres from our house.

First the quality of life dies

The nightmare started and the consequences for us were the following:

Since 1995 we have to sleep with closed windows, because of the noise the wind turbines are producing – even when it is extremely hot. Relaxation und peace in our garden, on our land and with our animals is impossible when the wind blows – whether from south-east, east, northeast or northwest we can scarcely sleep even with closed windows. Conversation inside the house in certain rooms has been disturbed.

Shadowflicker, something very special we’ve never experienced before, came into our lives between November and February. The turbines throw a shadow in the mornings which gives us headaches, induces irritability and disturbs our concentration (we have our offices at home).

The avifauna disappears

In February 1995, after the wind turbines started operating, the impact on the avifauna (wild birds, bats and insects) was immediately evident in a frightening way. The majority of birds and bats disappeared! Birds which are sensitive breeders, like peewits for example did not return after migration and the bats did not return from their winter quarters in the neighbourhood. Instead they disappeared permanently.

In order to work against this loss of wildlife we bought several hectares of land further away from the turbines on the other side of our farmhouse in the summer of 1995 and renaturalized them. It took 5 years until the bird and bat population revived at a low level….

Reaction of the former conservation organisations – today environment business

As members of various conservation organizations, we reported other members of our observations on the behavior of the avifauna, after the wind turbines started operating. Already at that time we were called crackpots. We were accused, we would be nuclear power lobbyists. The loss of species was partly denied, partly accepted without protest, because wind energy is such a good thing. We were horrified and took no longer part at meetings and activities.

Today we have left all the non-governmental organizations which are sponsored by industrial wind-profiteers and which became enviromental companies with wind energy and biomass production at the expense of nature. We will support no longer this scandal and fraud on the expense of nature and the true conservationists.

Some did not answer the reasons for the termination, some answered with standard letters and others with incomprehension.

First symptoms of disease

Approximately 1996 we realized that we barely fall to sleep and weren’t able to sleep through the night. We thought even to ask a dowser, to determine if our bed is standing above a water vein. We moved furniture between several rooms, but it was the same everywhere.
Symptoms such as ear pressure and noise in the ears were suddenly our companions. Visits to the doctor and medications became the rule for us. – I began to wonder why I felt better on my long and exhausting tournees, than at home. During the work I recovered from my lack of sleep. Previously it was vice versa…

Wind power profiteers and their dirty methods

That same year, amid this new and terrifying experience, the then-mayor appeared with the representative of a wind power operator to to convince us of an extension of the wind energy area – in the midst of the most species-rich wet meadows around our land. With the words: ” It won’t be to your disadvantage…”, he tried to corrupt us. The men were shown the door.

Much later we found out that it was wagered in the village, whether we let ourselves buy by the wind energy profiteers, or whether our love for nature would triumph…

Also we were told about the 1.000 DM, the community representatives were paid in the early 90s for their approval to the first plans for the wind turbines next to our farm..

Thus we realized, why the seller of the property we’ve bought suddenly wanted to sell the farm. He was member of the local council and agreed to the wind power plans, pocketed the sum, and then hurried to look for naive clients, to buy his dilapidated farm for a lot of money before the wind turbines are built.

Slowly we came to know from personal experience and by reading the approval documents of the wind turbines next to us this dirty secrets of the supposedly clean wind energy …
And there should be a lot more.

VAD and WTS – what healthy people makes ill beside wind turbines 

Since 1997-8 we have registered the first symptoms of illness such as Tinnitus (deep vibrating and high piping tones), raised blood pressure, heavy ear pressure, a sensation of fullness in the ear and the sleep problems became more and more serious. This was getting worse all the time.

Marco consulted four different doctors to find advice and support with his deep, sonorous drone in the ear. Many tests were made, but no one could explain this symptom, let alone help him. This drone is still to be unbearable companion.

Jutta’s heart-rhythm disturbances, accompanied by angina pectoris and occasional palpitations, increased extremely in 2004 so that in early 2005, a cardiac catheterization seemed necessary . No organic results, but the symptoms are getting worse from year to year. We began to research, what may cause our illnesses.

In 2001, I (Jutta) noticed for the first time several small reddish-white ulcers in the mouth and asked several doctors about the diagnosis and its cause. No one could explain these ulcers. In 2007, I saw photos of these ulcers in the mouth and in the bronchi of patients in Portugal who live close to wind power plants. In the investigations by Dres. Alves-Pereira and Castelo Branco one could read that these are typical symptoms of Vibro Acoustic Disease – VAD.

Years later, in December 2010 up to now my husband, Marco, from time to time noticed the same ulcers in his mouth!

Sharp tongues may say now, we were already sick when arrived in the countryside and lived extremely unhealthy. On the contrary. When we moved in 1994 to the Wilstermarsch, we were absolutely fit. As people who refuse drugs and alcohol, except wine on holidays, as Non-smokers and vegetarians who work a lot in fresh air, caring for the animals and cultivating the soil, to grow vegetables and fruits and do sports regularly, also without genetic predisposition, we are under normal circumstances not affected by the described diseases.

Animals also can suffer from noise emissions from wind turbines

Also the effect on our about 80 animals in our private welfare is severe: Our sheep have suffered many miscarriages and produced deformed lambs. The sheep and cows avoid their shelter and stable, both have a tin roof, even if it rains, snows or the sun is burning down on them. Threshold in dogs, cats and pot-bellied pigs decreases, the animals are restless. At times with lots of wind they are looking to rest always on the downwind side and also inside the house they look for the area farthest from the wind turbines. Many of our Canada and Barnacle geese breed as far away from the turbines as possible – although we had created several islands for this purpose in the middle of our lake. They return to us for feeding but prefer to sleep elsewhere. The ducks on the other hand do not seem to be affected by the wind turbines. But our turkeys and chickens change their sleeping quarters according to the wind direction.

Today we know many examples of animal responses to infrasound and low frequency noise, because more and more examples are reported to us from other wind energy opposers around the world.

More and more wind turbines – increasing symptoms of WTS and VAD

Since 2001 the number of wind turbines in the neighbourhood has risen sharply. We can now see about 130 turbines from our property at distances of between 320m and 15,5 km. The higher ones (up to 189m height) blink day and night. This is environmental plague during the day and we live in the middle of a blinking industry park in the night.

Parallel with the increase in the wind turbines and the level of exposure through low frequency noise, infrasonic, noise, shadowflicker and blinking, our medical symptoms have worsened.

We both suffer from noise, particularly from vibrations , which pass through our bodies day and night. For better understanding, imagine you would drive on a big ship (eg ferry between France and Corsica), or sitting in an airplane, where you can experience these vibrations too, which let vibrate the whole body. Marco knows them too from working with an orbital sander and I remember the vibrations in the Hamburg tram, on my way to school.

Long as one is in motion and changes the location from time to time, this vibration is sometimes more, sometimes less tolerable, depending on wind conditions. Immediately it is unbearable, if one comes to rest, especially in bed at night. In varying intensity, the body begins to vibrate, chest and abdomen are the most affected. The vibrations continue in the body in the form of a feeling of tiny pinpricks, and is always associated with chest tightness or chest pressure, breathlessness, and often with tachycardia.

There are also symptoms as sleep deprivation with frequent awakening and rising (normally we get 3-5 hours of disrupted sleep per night) to insomnia, concentration problems, Angina pectoris, rapid heart beats and from tinnitus. Marco hears 4 different tones, the worst of all is a deep and constant buzzing or droning. Until now none of the many consulted doctors have been able to cure this. Jutta hears 3 sounds, the worst is an agressive beating in her left ear, like the impulse when the wind turbine blades pass the mast. And we both suffer from raising blood pressure up to more than 160 (sys) and 100 (dia), especially at night, at medium wind speeds and wind from the southeast, east, northeast and northwest.

It is a scandal, the fact that in Germany health hazards caused by infrasound and low frequency sound are not discussed. The refusal of the German media to report that residents of wind turbines also are affected by noise, such as airport or highway neighbors, is intentional. No shadow should fall on the green and clean image of wind energy.

The fact that in Germany topics such as illness and death are taboo, and thus are not socially acceptable, prevents many people talking to their doctors, neighbors and even to friends when they realize the negative effects of neighboring wind turbines on their health. An unholy alliance which drives many people to despair.

Holiday and cure in wind-delusion areas?

VAD and WTS getting better in wind-power-free zones

For years we make the experience that our symptoms improve when we are on vacation. Even though our recovery needs more and more time from year to year. That’s the reason, why we have made it a rule, always to ask when booking,whether wind turbines are around the hotel.

Last February we experienced the following: From home we had booked a hotel on the outskirts of Magdeburg in a large park near the river Elbe. On the usual question, one had assured us that the environment is free of wind turbines.

After several previous nights in Dresden in glorious peace and thus an improvement of our health status and finally undisturbed sleep, we noticed astonished, in the hotel in Magdeburg, that we could not fall asleep, we felt vibrations and our blood pressure measurement showed increased values.

The stroll the next morning solved the riddle: Approximately 2.5 km away we saw several Enercon turbines along the river Elbe which caused low-frequency sound. Now,as a precaution we google the environment of the holiday place , even if the information of the hoteliers and landlords promises the absence of wind turbines.

Fortunately the question about wind turbines in the vicinity of the sanatorium at the Baltic Sea where I should go to recently, proudly was answered with YES. They held it for a terrific thing to have wind turbines next to the health clinic, because, cit. “this way no nuclear plant would be erected beside the clinic …”
I let send back my documents and searched for myself an excellent wind turbines free clinic on the island of Fohr in the northsea.

The experiences that the symptoms of Wind Turbine Syndrome (WTS) are reduced after varying time, have all doctors been seen and confirmed in their studies. Just as we experience it on vacation, in hospital and sanatorium again. As proof, we collect our blood pressure measurements and perform harassment protocols.

People who leave their homes because they no longer bear the symptoms, can become healthy again. In countries with more flexible lifestyle, such as USA, Canada and Australia, people who suffer from wind turbine noise leave their homes more easy, than in Germany or other European countries. Even the complete economic loss of the property is accepted in many cases, to win back the health. However, with increasing age it is for most people a huge problem!

In Germany, victims of wind turbines seldom leave their homes, because here the people usually are connected with the residence, professionally and familiar.

This form of cold expropriation by the wind profiteers via expulsion of the residents living near wind turbines who do not accept the loss of their health and quality of life, is one of the great scandals of the wind madness!

Secret plans for wind power and bad expertises – what you can do against it.

2006 started a new attempt to designate more areas for wind power plants and to replace old wind turbines with new ones which are more then three times higher by wind power operators and landowners. This replacement is called Repowering in Germany, because small wind power plants with little power are upgraded to huge industrial monsters of 150-210 m altitude in order to generate more electricity and to benefit even more from the feed-in tariffs guaranteed by the Renewable Energy Act (EEG).

This was made top secret by the landowners in local council, especially by the then-mayor and the wind power operators, in order to avoid protests by the public. Plans and reports were secretly commissioned and created. The administrative council supported these activities. Senior civil servants who advise our local representatives in the Wilstermarsch and support them by the keeping of the minutes have large to very large shares of wind power plants in the area. How the advice to municipalities under these circumstances would turn out, every one can imagine. Or do someone expects in all seriousness impartiality of officials who participate in the wind energy deals?

But after the announcement, the planners were confronted with considerable resistance in the population which led to a merger in a citizens’ initiative.

So we designed flyers to inform all citizens who knew nothing about the secret activities of the wind power lobby. A meeting was held, to inform about, what these plans of a few profiteers would mean for most of the population, and to present the new landscape plan of our village. And we have built a website with information.

All concerned residents raised objections against the landscape plan, that scandalously identified wetlands with high biodiversity as areas suitable for wind turbines.

Because the expertises about the avifauna had ignored all species of animals, capable of flight, on the designated area, in favor of the wind power operator company, that had issued the order and pays for the expertises. So the birds and their breeds, the resting and migrating birds and bats were mapped, photographed and filmed by us. The public agency for nature had been supplied with pictures and films and was asked for support. This work proved to be helpful and this way we could change the landscape plan. All mapped species of avifauna and our drawings of the various biotopes have found entrance into the plan. Instead of the wind power symbols there are now bird symbols (valuable areas for breeding, roosting and foraging) on the area, previously destined for wind power plants.

These activities were a thorn in the eye the local wind power lobby, because they had already calculated their high profits. Some had purchased land to lease it for driveways and wind turbines . Others wanted to benefit from money for land conservation, to compensate the threat on nature by wind turbines. So that all landowners, who are members in the local council, profit by wind energy, it is common in the communities, to found a pool, from which anyone will be payed, whose vote is needed for the consent, in favor of wind turbine locations in the community. Even if his land is outside the areas for wind turbines, and he cannot rent it, a nice sum of money pops out for him.

Abuses by the wind lobbyists

That neighbors defend themselves and their fellow citizens against these plans, appeared so outrageous in the eyes of wind-profiteers that they mobilize their community of profiteers immediately. This means, that every citizen, who doesn’t agree any longer, to accept further destruction by the wind-profiteers, of nature, health and quality of life, the landscape, the real estate assets and pension, was seen as an object of hatred.

The following attacks by the wind power lobby were drastic and even criminal.
It started with threatening phone calls, mostly anonymous. Followed by law suits, of course, also anonymous, and it was a coming and going of various police departments and authority representatives in our home. On the question of, who complained about us, it was said “This could not be told” and “From members of the battue.” So within five years nine law suits with bizarre contents have been initiated against us. Some of them were announced during festivities in the village under the wind lobbyists, and it was called to participate, as e.g. abuses by the hunters at the battue.

On the occasion of council meetings public pillory campaigns were held against dissidents, a little like the Middle Ages. Gladly in the presence of the regional press with subsequent report in the local newspaper.

Of course there were people who did not want to participate in criminal actions against us, but fear of the powerful landowners and wind lobbyists, combined with a lack of awareness of injustice and loyalty made them silent in front of the attacks against us and our animals. Later on we heard piecemeal, who initiated the actions against us.

Since 2006 marches each winter, just before Christmas, the local hunter-society over our land, trying to chase up our birds (geese, ducks) with barking dogs and gunshots, so that they can shoot them. Also our sheep are scared and break a leg, while running to the stable. Due to the support of our friends, who help us by observation to save our animals at hunting-days, over most of the past winters all have survived. In contrast to the beautiful ducks of rare and endangered species in the pond of neighbors, who were almost all bitten to death by a dog of a hunter! And last December they shot two of our Canadian geese directly before our eyes.

Poison baits were laid out next to our land and not only some of our animals were poisoned, but also a Montagu’s Harrier fell victim to this attack. A legally protected species, whose presence ensures for greater distances of wind turbines. We have found the bird with the bait still in its beak. Dead animals were thrown us over the gate.

Packets of dubious content such as underpants and scary drawings come by post and in the empty barrel we find wet diapers for adults. The level of these attacks can not be beaten.

We learned then, these greedy citizens have no scruples and no problems to act against the law.

Threats of violence like “Those I’ll burn down the farm” and “If I can grab them, I will spank them, until they never get up again” did not stop us. That this way of dealing with wind power opponents in circles of wind power profiteers is common for years, confirming reports from all over Germany, but also from other countries.

Farmer boys exert pressure on the fire service chief, by refusing their cooperation in the fire service, because the chief had refused to give his consent as a member of the community council for a wind power project,

Windows were smashed and cars scratched.

Decollated pig head in the garden of wind power opponents, decapitated pigeons with feet tied together hanging on the doorknob of a mayor and wind power opponent, dead rats in the mailbox – Greetings from the Mafia!

Memories of history lessons in school about the Nazi era regularly come into mind, if one experiences, that freelancers, workshops or dealer lose their customers and clients, because today it is called “Do not buy from wind power opponents” and “Dissenters are given no orders “.

Democracy is already at its end, where struggle is about wind power in rural communities!

How to fight back

In this situation, you need strong nerves, courage and a strategy. Our strategy is: We secure ourselves and our property by fences with electric wires and barbed wire, and all possible entrances with electric gate and security cameras. In principle we make all assaults and threats public. We deposit the names of the attackers at the lawyer, in case something happened to us, and ensure transparency on the homepage. During threatening phone calls it is helpful, to announce to record the calls, and to turn the phone to “monitoring”. So sometimes we listened with some people,who were present in our office, the threats and insults. But most of the callers hang up immediately, because they naturally want to remain anonymous.

Even the chance of being recorded in their shameful doing by a camera, and possibly to appear on a Web site, is unpleasant to the wind lobby, and will be avoided.

Wind power plans in the rural communities destroy social structures

Many activists give up, because they are afraid of losing their social contacts in the communities. Those, who threaten the loudest, and instigate attacks at opponents of wind power, are usually also those, who possess most of the land and thus power, influence and money. Anyone who perseveres and keeps on fighting, has to accept disadvantages. From exclusion of the village community, up to the loss of his job.

A crack is going through each community, where the citizens fight against wind power plans. Social structures such as neighborhood connections, friendship and family ties shatter by the greed of a few landowners, who want to enrich themselves at the expense of their fellow men and nature. We have seen how two old citizens, who once have been friends, pounce on each other at a council meeting. A sad picture. The peace in the village is strongly disturbed, often over generations. One experiences dramatically, how the greed for feed-in compensation and lease income change the people and how they stop at nothing. It is a disaster!

Become active in the community – solidarity is needed

The most secure way to keep the wind energy at bay is, to be active yourself and to ensure to change the majorities of the municipal council. This contributed, in addition to the contradictions to the landscape plan, essentially to the defense of Neuendorf-Sachsenbande from further wind energy plans. In 2008, at the last municipal election, the many “headwind voters” have changed the majority and the old mayor had to vacate his seat. With him there were further changes in the municipal council for the benefit of man and nature, against the wind energy. His deselection let the former mayor, and with him some of his closest followers, foaming with rage against the new mayor, and of course against us as opponents of his plans.

Living near wind turbines – the lifelong threat

In the meantime, our health problems and complaints have steadily increased, so that today we can not live without drugs. Blood pressure increases with each year beside wind power plants and led to kidney damage and more violent heart rhythm disturbances. In some nights, our sleep disorders are extended to sleep deprivation, because of the infra- and low-frequency noise emissions. Tinnitus, nausea and dizziness, and intermittent painful ulcers in the mouth, make our life a living hell.

The diagnosed Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a lymphatic cancer in my mucous membranes,has encouraged the physicians, who research worldwide on the Wind Turbine Syndrome (WTS, Dr. Nina Pierpont, USA), the Vibro-Acoustic Disease (VAD, Professor Mariana Alves-Pereira, Portugal) and on high blood pressure near wind turbines (Dr. Sarah Laurie, AU), to discuss, if it could be a crossover of the diseases WTS and VAD, after 16 years of living next to wind turbines.

When we began researching, what could be the cause of our illness, I remembered my history lessons. There has already been tought, that the Nazis tortured their prisoners with infrasound. An insidious, undetectable torture technique. By the way: Recently, a German armory has applied two new infrasound weapons for a patent!

Even if health problems by low frequency and infrasonic are still not discussed in Germany for ideological reasons, there are studies and field research worldwide by doctors, engineers and acousticians. Fortunately, there is the Internet and our global movement, to inform people seeking help. Especially in Germany we are very grateful for it, because we are completely left alone by authorities, politicians and the media.

It seems to be easy to write about it, but living with all these symptoms after so many years of exposure, 320 meters away of wind turbines, to bear life-threatening diseases, is a torture and an imposition!

Long-term noise studies, which are in Germany of course not made at “good, clean” wind turbines , but at “evil” airports or busy roads, show, that the health effects are irreversible after 15 years of exposure nearby of noise sources.

We are in the 17 Year!

 Shadow flicker or cognitive disorder

In 2006, after we first informed us in the nationwide head wind movement and then have been integrated, we learned, that there are fixed time periods, for the duration of shadow impacts, to not exceedingly straining the residents with the fast light-dark flickering. Our complaint wasn’t dealt for long time, and only on demand the responsible officer of the state environment authority told us, that we can’t have shadow impact. Cognitive impairment?

During the next “shadow flicker season” from November to February we have produced a video as evidence for the gentleman in the authority, with the request to ensure that the wind turbines will be shut down during this time. But they took time again and again, to recalculate the coordinates of the wind turbine locations.

The message from the next higher authority: Only a short shadow impact possible in our house and that at times in which we not perceive it! So, in the next winter we made a second video for the officials, again with references to specific times, Info radio in the background, an actual newspaper with the date – as with a hijacking … So the years go by…

Now we’ve got a suspicion: Could it be that the owners and operators of the wind turbines have built their industrial facilities without authorization in a different location …? That would explain why the authorities weren’t able to calculate the shadow-flicker at our home. Meanwhile we googled locations and distances of the turbines …

Laws: § 4 Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Act and the work of the authorities …

Fortunately after two years of work in the “headwind scene”, we learned to use our possibilities: the few available laws for citizens,. An application under § 4 Freedom of Information Act (IFG-SH), to take a look at the approval documents for the wind turbines beside us was made quickly.

With the help of our lawyer the approval documents were borrowed and copied, against the attempted resistance of the responsible officials, so that we now have available the entire process, and were able to make us a picture. In the records were so many points which occurred to us, that we asked in the district building department for an statement. Answer: A trivial DIN A 4 letter, to tell us, that everything written in the documents is legal – for a fee of 50 €! The undersigned civil servant in the district building department was incidentally the same, who gave in the plannings 1993-95 the permission to build the turbines, granted with conditions, but had never checked their fulfillment…

What’s it called in the report of the anti-corruption agency in Schleswig-Holstein? “No civil servant or employee of a licensing authority should stay longer than 10 years in office. The danger of being corrupted and to corrupt themselves increases with each year, that one remains in the same office … ”

Approval documents with scandalous content, and the reaction of German authorities

Among many other peculiarities, like handwritten demands on postcards by the building owners in a commanding tone to the authorities, to missing and recently renumbered pages in the approval documents, there were serious indications of a number of inaccuracies. The most serious: twice relocation of the wind turbines in the planning phase, with respective displacements away from the domicile of the operator in direction to our later real estate and other neighboring houses. The prescribed minimum distance of 300 m to a neighbor’s house was undershot by 10 meters. One wind turbine was built on a nature conservation area, as compensation for the impact on nature. The required noise measurements at three measuring points, one right next to our house, after commissioning the plants in 1995 were not made. That is now over 17 years ago!

We informed the representatives of the three authorities about these findings. The civil servants acted only after repeated requests. The LLUR answered: “Yes, these noise measurements must be made up, and the location of the turbines would be remeasured, in order to be able to do new shadow impact calculations.

The three wind turbines next to our home are not labeled with numbers. This was also discovered and criticized in 2008 by the authority. Nothing has changed until today. The reason, not to denote the wind turbines with numbers, serves only the concealment of ownership and tax payments. This we learned afterwards.

To our question, whether there is a double standard when it is about the rights of affected residents and the wind power operators, we heard of the representative of the LLUR: “Disturbances due to wind turbines will be solved in Schleswig-Holstein by good-neighborly behavior.” And what does this mean? “If it is sometimes too loud, or the shadow flicker is too long, then the residents should not be too sensitive.” That is to say, good neighborly behavior is a one way street, permitted only by wind power operators?” Grin as a reply….

This is the cynicism of German authorities in the wind-mania country!

You thought, there were offices, where the employees work for the citizens, because they are funded by taxpayers? On the contrary. As in the media and politics, the officials are here, to serve the lobbyists.

Imagine, if we would have violated building permit requirements! An immediate decommissioning obligation would be ours …

Even the police department in the county town acted as lobby friendly as the abovementioned authorities. On our nightly phone call last winter, with the request, to stop the tranquility interfering noise from about 50 dB(A) and more, for several nights in succession, we heard: “We will not come to you at 2 a.m., to switch off wind turbines!”

On our advice, to ask the operator to shut down the turbines, we were told: “If you endure this noise since several years, you can still do it longer ….”. If the police would have said the same, if we reported tranquility disturbing noise from loud neighbors at night…?

Thus one is deprived of his rights …

The story of the shadow impact detector

We didn’t let up and so the authorities had to come up with something.

After the wind turbines were calibrated with GPS in August 2008 in our presence by the LLUR, and thus the actual position coordinates were fixed, they could still do not ensure, that the wind turbines would be shut down during the shadow flicker period. They offered us, to install a new device outside our house next winter, which was developed at the University. This shadow impact detector, a prototype, should now unequivocally measure the duration of the shadow flicker in our house. Our two triple-secured video recordings could not be trusted after all…

With a small delegation from the University of Flensburg, the officials from the LLUR appeared, to establish the device outside the house in front of a window.

A few weeks later it was said, that they have to come to dismantle the unit, because a software error had appeared. Whether they could install it again during the shadow flicker season, no one knew… As expected, they could not.

Thus, the operators had won a lot of time to make money at our expense, and they had to thank the officials a lot …

The next winter the same game: Only on our demand they brought the device and put it on the same place in 2009, like the winter before. A short time later one of the officials came, to exchange the memory chip, because the chip should be read out at the university. But they wanted to continue the measurements, as he said. Long before the end of winter, the same bureaucrat appeared again, to pick up the device, because it allegedly had yielded false readings …

Whether if this device is an embarrassing parapraxis of the engineers of the University of Flensburg, a dummy that is used as an alibi to provide rebellious residents quiet, or whether one has measured things, in line with our video evidence, and thus necessarily would have had to lead to the shut down of the wind turbines, we do not know.

The game “How to take the mickey out of the complainant” is in progress since 2006, for nearly 6 years!

On every demand, even by our lawyer, we ever since received no answer from the LLUR. The operators will thank the officials…

Noise measurement as licensing requirement since 1995 overdue

After our first request in 2008, and after a quick glance at our copies of the approval documents, the officials demanded a subsequent designation of the noise-measurement from the wind power operators, in response to the above described calibration of the wind turbine.

In winter they showed us the estimate of costs of a company for sound measurements (a member of the Federal Association of Wind Energy, not independant) for the wind power operator company Denker & Wulf which is entrusted with the technical management of wind farms. The winter passed, it has not been measured.

On demand before the start of the growing phase, the responsible officials said, would have indeed been too little wind, especially not from easterly directions, also rained and snowed and perhaps were not even all six wind turbines have been operational. In short, we could no measurements to perform.

Our records of the wind and our own noise measurements with a Voltcraft SL-400, data logger show different data, especially because east winds occur in this region the second most frequently.

And again rejoiced operators and thank the officials

At each visit of the officials we asked the same question: “When is measured?”

You guessed it. This procedure still lasts since nearly 4 years and the gentlemen of the Office ensure that no pressure is exerted on the operators, to perform an officially prescribed approval edition. And of course, that our health deteriorates from year to year…

The information that our attorney received in autumn 2010 from the LLUR:

“The conditions for measurement were not given (no leaves, no snow, no rain, with wind direction to the house, all wind turbines must be ready to go!) And your clients accept no measurement on a replacement site …”

Explained in this way, the operators only must declare one of six plants as non-operational and they still save the expensive measurement (6850 € net per turbine.).

This never-ending story has been running since 2008 and thus nearly for 4 years!

After the above-described experiences with the representatives of the licensing authority, we must raise a doubt about their integrity .

That it happens even more boldly, one can not really imagine, but in Neuendorf-Sachsenbande, this is also possible. 

Wind turbines without owners can not be sued…

Lies and deception of the wind power operators

Finally we want to bring this evil game to an end, and we want to avoid, having to rent for us a second home due to health reasons, in an environment without wind turbines, for the next few years. My long-term chemo-antibody therapy against follicular NHL and the by high blood pressure extremely endangered kidney, as well as the serious heart rhythm problems of my husband do not tolerate additional dangerous exposure to continuous sound emissions. Therefore we have decided to sue for shutdown of the wind turbines. At least as long, as the for almost 17 years pending noise measurement and a monitoring measurement are made. We are very interested to know, whether the measurements still will be delayed, when the cash cow wind turbines must be switched off in the meantime.

What might be more expensive, the absence of feed-in compensation or the cost of sound measurements?

€ 6,850 net per WKA makes gross (incl. 19% VAT.) for all six WKA € 48,909.

A sum that windpower profiteers would have liked to spare, although thanks to the EEG feed-in tariffs they make a wealth at the expense of their neighbors and fellow citizens and of all German electricity customers.

For this, they continue to conceal, who the true owners are, and simply change the legal status of the so-called wind farm. A common way in wind power circles, as we learned, with which they can wonderfully save taxes.

But before the action, “the god of the wind lobby” paved the way with more lies …

Trickery – Camouflage – Cheating – – the methods of the wind-profiteers

Our attorney, a well-known lawyer for building law, wrote to the family, who, according to the sign at the so-called Wind Farm Neuendorf-Sachsenbande, is the designated operator, a warning to comply with the noise limits, before starting the action.

And lo and behold, it was said that noone of the family is operator of these six turbines! And one does not know who operates the wind turbines …!

It should be noted: It is the family, who once received the building permit with obligations, they inaugurated the turbines in early 1995, since then they are marked as operator on the sign, since 2006 they try, to enforce a repowering (replacing old small wind turbines by large new) with an approximately tenfold increase of the wind energy area in the municipality, this family collects the feed-in tariff for these wind turbines and has recently payed even a small sum of trade tax, together with a Mr. Wulf, who was once co-founder of Denker & Wulf PLC, this company, citation LLUR “… care procedurally and technically the turbines of Mrs. Huusmann.”

The civil servant didn’t pay attention, and may have unwittingly prescribed …?

Till today noone has announced himself as operator, admits everywhere a co-partner ship, and continues to try to trick with the help of all authorities.

The impudence of the wind power profiteers even goes as far, as to complain about alleged threats and accusations.

Loss of reality or “let’s have a try”- mesh?

How to make profits on the expense of people and nature – 

Lesson by Wind Turbine Operators

Anyone who intends only the good, plays with open cards, provides information and ensures transparency, abides by the regulations and has certainly no interest to harm his neighbors and the taxpayers, right?

Who wants evil, is working in secret, inflicts damages on his neighbors, makes use of all available tricks and lies, to make a fortune, and is pleased, to harm his fellow citizens to his heart’s.

Also, the wind power operator company D&W AG and the GEO mbH, which make fine profits at the expense of their fellow citizens for almost 20 years, strive towards an extension of the so called wind farm with the local operator family for 15 years. A letter of demand from D & W was read publicly in the council meeting. GEO organized an event in the community, to represent their planned combined power plant from biomass and wind power for the Wilstermarsch centered in Neuendorf-Sachsenbande. Despite rejection of the municipal council, the wind power profiteers from GEO still advertise these plans on their site…
Those parties, which rake in nearly two decades, millions in profits at the expense of people and nature, of course, know every trick and communicate with politicians, media representatives and regulatory authorities on good terms.

What comes to mind when you hear of a state official of a State Agency, responsible for the approval of wind power plants under the Federal Pollution Control Act (BimSchG), that he just met and drank a wine with the CEO of the D & W AG? Did the old gentleman and the young man talk about golf or computer games?

In Schleswig-Holstein, they are proud to fiddle with the nouveau riche of the money nobility of the wind industry.

But it is feared, that this story will be repeated in all the regions in which the parasitism is considered higher, than earnings from own work.

Germany, the dreamland of all lobbyists

Germany is a haven for lobbyists. They are everywhere, in politics, the media and the authorities. Everyone loves them! Why??
Quite especially beloved are the wind power lobbyists, because they fit into the new ideology of this country. And they are always thrown by money, when they cry “More!”. More feed-in tariffs, more ports and wider roads for the wind turbine transports, etc.
Even if they require legislative changes, or new regulations, e.g. the command, that we have to live instead of 320 m from the wind turbine, have to accept a 200m distance to our house.
They make sure that the media tell nothing about health problems caused by infrasound and low frequency sound, or about the many birds and bats killed by wind turbines and distributed.
Also from the damage to the economy by wind energy, photovoltaik and biomass, we should not be informed by the media, so they tell us nothing or only very little ..

But they always write a lot, of that wind turbines are green and clean, and that they save the climate, and ensure that Germany will save the world.

From the land of poets and thinkers, once again became a land of ideologues and profiteers!

Windpower-Cynicism

Oh yes, we almost forgot to name the favorite question of all the cynics in the media, politics, wind lobby, government officials and environmental ideologues: “Why don’t you leave the country, looking for another home?” Alternative: “Then go somewhere else, if they do not fit the wind turbines “! This reminds so fatal to the saying:” Then go to East Germany, when here it suits you not. ”

Each of these cynics should personally experience the feeling of loosing not only his self-generated values, excluding subsidies and government guarantees compensation paid by working citizens, and the safeguarding of age, but also his health!

That means the loss of social justice to us and all the other victims of wind energy worldwide.
But can you imagine that in regions where politicians, decision makers, profiteers of all stripes live or have their holiday homes, wind power plants would be installed?
Each of these cynics should personally experience the feeling of loosing not only his self-generated values, excluding subsidies and government guarantees compensation paid by working citizens, and the safeguarding of age, but also his health!

That means the loss of social justice to us and all the other victims of wind energy worldwide.

But can you imagine that in regions where politicians, decision makers, profiteers of all stripes live or have their holiday homes, wind power plants would be installed?

On the shore of the Starnberger lake, in the park of Baden-Baden, or near the Elbchaussee…?

Equally threatening is the loss of biodiversity through the massive development of wind turbines all over the earth, including the world’s oceans, the expansion of monocultures and deforestation of rain forests. We are all witnesses, as the insatiable profiteers and their ideological and instrumentalized grass roots condone the extinction of species.

What we are witnessing since 1995 in our small rural community, has expanded in the last 10 years into a global threat for humans and nature, and destroyed all our livelihoods – for the infinite greed for money and power of a few ruthless energy-profiteers.

Unfortunately, the story goes on, but we organize ourselves better and more and more global.
We need every thinking and feeling human beings on our side!

March 1, 2014

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