Government Will Offer Financial Compensation to Residents Living Near Solar and Wind Farms

By B.N. Frank

Opposition to solar (see 1, 2, 3, 4) and wind farms (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) will likely increase worldwide until significant biological, environmental, and safety issues – including fires (see 1, 2, 3, 4) – are eliminated or significantly reduced. Denmark’s solution is to give money to people who live near solar and wind farms.

From Wind-Watch:

Denmark to offer compensation to wind turbine neighbours

Credit: Denmark’s government has suggested financial compensation to local communities in areas where green energy is produced. | Ritzau/The Local | Published: 28 July 2022 | www.thelocal.dk ~~

Onshore wind turbines and solar panel farms are often opposed by people who live near their proposed locations, sometimes resulting in debate and campaigns against the projects.

The government is now prepared to address local concerns with specific measures aimed at recompensing neighbours to green energy production sites, newspaper Jyllands-Posten reports.

Minister for Housing and the Interior, Christian Rabjerg Madsen, told the newspaper that monetary compensation would be offered to persons who live in areas earmarked for wind and sun energy farms.

“We have, on several occasions, agreed between the [minority] government and parliamentary partners to increase the bonus for living close to sustainable energy facilities,” Madsen said.

“At the same time, we will use the planning laws to create higher grades of freedom and more [legal] framework,” he said.

Planning laws could be skirted to help residents in affected areas by, for example, allowing housing to be built on open land, in order to support local projects, the minister explained.

A government initiative will also aim to inform municipalities about successful green projects in other areas, he noted.

Additionally, the appeals system will be boosted so that objections to sustainable energy construction proposals will be processed by the relevant appeals boards within six months. The government has set aside an extra 25.5 million kroner to this end in 2025 and 2026.

Areas with a large number of sustainable energy projects will be eligble for 10 million kroner of state support from the so-called Rural District Fund (Landdistriktpuljen).

A parliamentary majority last month reached an agreement over the planning laws. At the time, Madsen said the government wanted to make it easier to install wind and solar energy farms.

Source: Denmark’s government has suggested financial compensation to local communities in areas where green energy is produced. | Ritzau/The Local | Published: 28 July 2022 | www.thelocal.dk

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