Windmills at Stadt can never be green
Stadtlandet is an iconic peninsula, with two of the most pristine surf destinations in Europe. Should this pearl be industrialized by a wind project with marginal energy output?
If you have been there, you will know why I write this post: Stadtlandet, the west cape of Norway, is a place like no other. A mountain plateau facing the North Sea at its roughest, surrounded by communities located in lush valleys with sandy beaches. The cultural landscape of this iconic area has been preserved since the viking age. The landscape is teeming with birds, including sea eagles and many other species. You will find some of them on the IUCN red list. These irreplaceable qualities are threatened by a windmill project promoted by Falck Renewables. They plan to put five 150 m high wind mills and build a range of roads on the pristine mountain plateau.
The idea is simply really, really stupid. It is not green, and not smart. A continuation of the old, exploitative and insensitive economic paradigm we should now be leaving behind. Short wrap-up:
- Energy output. The wind park is very small in energy perspective. Annual energy output is 71 TWH, only 10% of the output from the larger planned wind parks in Norway. The contribution to the systemic replacement of fossile energy sources is marginal.
- Experience: The unique surf spots Hoddevika and Ervika attracts surfers and tourists from all over the world, drawn to the unique combination of beaches, mountains, fishing villages and farms. People tend to travel back to Stadt, again and again? Why? The silence. The remoteness. The connection with history and nature. Qualities that can not be represented by a number in a spreadsheet, but that will gravely devaluated by an industrial park .
- Ecosystems: Several environmental reports disapproves of the project. Given the uniqeness of the area, there is a lack of proper documentation and research on the biological diversity. We know little about the role of the peninsula in the wider ecological context. Huge flocks of birds pass the area on their annual migration routes. Several bird species also use Stadt as their habitat during the winter months. The heathland landscape is intact and maintained by continuous grazing for hundreds of years.
- Cultural landscape. Both at a macro and micro level the Stadt landscape serves as a well-preserved history book, with intact historical marks stretching back in time until way before the viking age. The peninsula plays an important role in both Norwegian and european maritime history. It was the most dangerous stretch of water on the old trade route transporting codfish from the arctic to the markets of Portugal and Spain. Due to the rough seas in the area the fishermen sometimes carried their wooden boats over land to avoid dangerous waters.
- Local economy. Stadt is a booming ecotravel destination with a range of nature-based companies, including surf lodges and wilderness guides. There is both room and potential for further development, making the area available for new generations of visitors and entrepreneurs. The idea for wind turbines in this area was introduced in 1999, just before the surfing boom and ecotourism trend kicked in, with way more pessimism in the local community than today. The economic benefits from the construction period are marginal compared to the longterm potential in building the ecotourism and other industries related to the experience value of the peninsula further.
- Quality of life. The local resistance against the wind project is significant. Most current politicians say they would hesitate to approve this project today, but hesitate to challenge decisions from a distant past. Many of the local entrepreneurs, those that represent the future for this area, moved here due to the untouched nature. The wind park will be visible from local villages, and reduce the quality of life for the local residents.
Yes, we need a green energy transition. We need to rethink production systems, redesign business models and dramatically reduce the exploitation and burning of fossile fuels. This brings us into a lot of hard dilemmas. Realistically we need many renewable power projcets in the years to come, and some of these projects will be controversial. The makeover of the energy system includes wind mills, solar energy and cables that connects different national grids to create a unified, dynamic energy market. But the green shift is not only a technological paradigm shift, it is also a new form of thinking.
The big picture: We need to use technology to build a smarter society and to protect nature and ecosystems. Companies like Falck Renewable play an important part in this transformation. But if they are sincere in promoting the green shift they should reconsider their plans for the Stadt peninsula. There are limits to growth, also on a corporate level. Wind mills at Okla may be renewable, but they are not pieces in the green puzzle. The environmental costs and the energy benefits simply do not add up. The project lacks holistic thinking, societal impact considerations, longterm economical calculations and proper environmental research.
The math is simple. Small climate rewards, and devastating effects for an important habitat. In the Stadt project Falck Renewables has a unique possibility to show themselves and their industry what responsibility and integrity is really about. They should learn from Equinor, that abandoned their plans in the Australian Bight after an “holistic review of their exploration portfolio”. If the wilderness at Stadt is preserved, it would be a story about leadership in business where the political process failed. There are many green energy projects in the world that can and should be supported. The Okla Wind Park will never be one of them.
