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Dutch Expert Points Out That Belgian Turbines Are Reducing the Wind Power Available for Dutch Offshore Wind Farms in the North Sea.
An unusual dispute has arisen between Belgium and the Netherlands regarding the harnessing of wind in the North Sea. The CEO of a Dutch meteorology company claims that Belgian wind farms are, unintentionally, affecting the energy production of Dutch turbines.
The Expert’s Accusation
In an interview with the Belgian broadcaster VRT, Remco Verzijlbergh, CEO of the Dutch weather forecasting service Whiffle, explained the phenomenon. According to him, the location of the Belgian turbines causes part of the wind that would reach the Dutch parks to be intercepted.
Verzijlbergh stated that the Belgian parks are absorbing up to 3% of the wind energy from the Dutch installations.
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The direct consequence is the reduction of wind speed after passing through the turbines, which harms the structures positioned behind them. “An wind turbine is designed to extract wind from the air. If you measure behind a wind turbine, the wind blows with less force“, he said.
The Wake Effect
The phenomenon described is known in the sector as “wind shadow” or “wake effect“. It naturally occurs when the air loses speed as it passes through a wind turbine.
In the case of the North Sea parks, the situation is exacerbated because many are close together, and the prevailing wind comes from the southwest, where the Belgian turbines are installed.
Concern About the Future
Verzijlbergh warned that the problem is likely to grow. With several countries expanding their facilities in the North Sea to meet carbon neutrality targets, the risk of conflicts increases.
“The North Sea is being slowly constructed with wind farms, so there will be increasingly more of this wind energy theft,” he stated.
Need for Planning
For the expert, the solution lies in better international coordination. According to him, it’s important to avoid a “race to the water,” where whoever installs first secures the best winds. Joint planning can reduce impacts and ensure the balanced use of wind resources in the North Sea.
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