The number of wind turbines in the Netherlands continues to rise. In 2006 there were about 1800. How much disruption they cause to the landscape is unknown. The provincial and local authorities have all developed their own rules and criteria for selecting sites and assessing applications for wind turbines.

The growth in the number of wind turbines is most visible in the provinces of Flevoland, Friesland and Noord-Holland – the regions around the IJssel lake and in the coastal zone in the north of the country. In 2006 these regions contained about half of all the wind turbines in the Netherlands. Most of the turbines are sited on land, but work is proceeding on a few large offshore wind parks. 

Between 1986 and 2006 the number of wind turbines in the Netherlands rose from almost none to about 1800. The largest numbers are found in the provinces of Flevoland, Friesland and Noord-Holland. (Source: Wind Services Holland, 2006)

The number of wind turbines in the provinces of Zuid-Holland and Friesland bears little relation to the installed capacity in each province. Although Friesland has many more turbines than Zuid-Holland, the total generating capacity in Friesland is lower than in Zuid-Holland because the turbines in Friesland have a relatively low output.

Wind turbines stand out in the landscape and so they have a major impact on landscape amenity. Wind turbines are particularly conspicuous in open landscapes but are less intrusive in bocage or hedgerow landscapes. It is currently unknown at what distance, under which weather conditions and at which degree of landscape openness the visual intrusiveness of wind turbines becomes so slight that they have no impact on landscape amenity.

The siting of wind turbines is largely a matter for the provincial and local authorities. Central government only sets criteria for generating capacity per province and requires local authorities to take account of impacts on the landscape. Some provinces exert strict control, whereas Flevoland and Zuid-Holland have more wind turbines than their indicative quota drawn up by central government. 

Photo: Roel Hoeve