Wind farms
Energy from wind
In addition to the turbine, the construction of a wind power plant consists of permanent road infras.
Wind energy is one of the primary goals of the EU and, for that matter, Poland’s energy transition strategy. What then are these “famous” wind farms, and is indeed not such a terrible devil as they paint him?
Construction of a wind turbine
The key component of any wind power plant, responsible for producing power, is the wind turbine, consisting of the following elements:
- foundation, built taking into account the geological conditions of the subsoil; they are usually concrete, octagonal or circular in shape with a radius of about 20 meters, dug to a depth of about 3 meters or founded additionally on concrete piles driven into the ground.
- tower, consisting of several/several steel or concrete fragments connected to each other; the tower is usually about 80-150 m long;
- nacelle, which houses the power generator and is placed on the tower and oriented in the direction of the wind
- rotor, which consists of blades generally made of fiberglass or carbon fiber;
- hub, which is the central rotor component responsible for rotating the blades.
In addition to the turbine, the construction of a wind power plant consists of permanent road infras.
How wind energy is created:
Location and Procedures:
Location of a wind farm after amendments to the law
Location of a wind farm after amendments to the law:
- liberalization of the 10H rule as part of the adoption of the local zoning plan;
- in the local zoning plan it is the municipality that determines the distances of the wind power plant from residential buildings (municipal authorities + public discussions);
- the basis for determining the distance is a strategic environmental impact assessment;
- the absolute minimum distance of the power plant from residential buildings is 700m;
The obligation of the plan applies to the area of projected impact of the power plant.
Planning procedure
The local zoning plan under which the wind power plant is to be located:
- determines the maximum total height of the wind power plant, the maximum diameter of the rotor including blades and the maximum number of wind power plants;
- shall be drawn up at least for the area located within the borders of the municipality where the wind power plant is located or a nearby municipality.
A strategic environmental impact assessment is required for the draft local zoning plan which is to determine the location of a wind power plant.
The subject of the study is the identification of risks and the formulation of necessary measures to address their impact at the stage of construction, operation and decommissioning of the investment.
Environmental procedure
The main areas for studying the environmental impact of a wind power plant:
- surface and groundwater
- air
- acoustic climate
- electromagnetic fields
- soil
- living conditions and human health
- fauna
- flora and natural habitats
- landscape changes
The next steps within the wind farm development process until the RTB stage are: environmental decision, grid connection conditions and then the construction permit. After that there are construction works and finally O&M.