The number of onshore wind turbines in the Netherlands has increased significantly over the past 10 years. In the process, these have more and more been located in clusters. The share of clustered wind turbines rose from 84% to 88% between 2013 and 2023.
Almost all Dutch provinces saw a net increase in wind turbines between 2013 and 2023. The expansion of wind turbines was almost entirely realised within clusters (2 or more wind turbines). Often in relatively larger clusters of more than 15 turbines. The proportion of wind turbines in clusters increased from 84% to 88% between 2013 and 2023.
The cluster size classification shows that the really large clusters are mainly present and increasing in the provinces of Flevoland, Groningen and Zeeland. In other provinces (Friesland, Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland) with relatively large numbers of wind turbines, the increase is mostly in smaller clusters (2-6 and 6-10 turbines). Interestingly, in Friesland, the number of wind turbines in clusters has decreased. In this province, small, older turbines have been replaced by larger turbines.
In half of the provinces, there has been a decrease in the number of solitary wind turbines in the period 2013 – 2023. The decrease in solitary wind turbines is especially large in the province of Groningen. The share of solitary wind turbines is highest in Friesland, Utrecht and Noord Holland.
Wind turbines and landscape openness
Wind turbines installed on land affect landscape appreciation. When 100-metre-high wind turbines are visible, landscape appreciation within 1.5 km of the turbine is lower by a third than when no wind turbine is visible. The effect decreases with distance, but at 2.5 km distance there is still a decrease in rating by a quarter. The exact effect at a location depends on other factors, such as placement in relation to existing landscape structures.
In open landscapes, tall wind turbines are visible in more places than in less open landscapes and can therefore have a greater effect on the perceived appreciation of the landscape. The degree of openness of the landscape is determined by the presence or absence of elements higher than eye level in the wide surroundings: slopes, rising vegetation such as woods, canals and hedgerows, and built-up areas of towns, villages and homes and businesses. In the vicinity of the wind turbine, the average visible area is shown as a measure of the openness of the landscape in which the turbine is located.
Across the Netherlands, it appears that the 2023 wind turbine sites are in more open landscapes than those of 2013: an increase from 324 to 383 ha of visible surface, with the province of Drenthe in particular showing a striking increase in average visible surface. Especially in the provinces of Groningen, Flevoland, Zeeland, Drenthe and Zuid-Holland, the average visible surface area is large in 2023 and wind turbines are mostly in open landscapes. In Limburg, turbines are most often found in closed landscapes, with an average visible area of less than 40 ha. This is the only province where the number of wind turbines has increased, while the average visible area has decreased remarkably. With an average visible area of 140 ha and 170 ha, in Utrecht and Gelderland, the turbines are also in relatively closed landscapes. Source: CLO
