“uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç

A 450 kW AN Bonus wind turbine was forced out of action in mid July after a court ruled that the strobe effect caused by light reflecting off its blades was unacceptable for the inhabitants of a house 170 metres away. The dispute over the turbine in Oldendorf had been brewing since it came into operation four years ago, says Antje Kiel of AN Maschinenbau und Umweltschutzanlagen, which supplied the machine. The operators had wanted to install the turbine at a site further away from the neighbours, but the local building authority in Wittmund insisted on the present site, she explains. The case heard at the Oldenburg court was therefore against the District of Wittmund, not the operator company. Complaints of noise were dismissed as the operator could prove that the legal 45 dBA was not exceeded. The district of Wittmund is considering an appeal against the court ruling while AN is helping the operator avoid bankrutpcy by helping in the search for an alternative site.