Anyone who was out and about in the center of Tölz on Friday afternoon was suddenly confronted with an unusual sight. A 2.40 meter high wind turbine in the middle of the historic market street, right in front of the winemaker monument. However, it did not generate electricity because it was part of a demonstration by Fridays for Future (FFF) Bad Tölz. The activists protested against the so-called 10 H rule. They call for this provision to be abolished and for the regional plan for Upper Bavaria to be revised. 10 H states that the distance between a wind turbine and residential areas must be at least ten times the construction height.
In practice, this means that wind turbines can mostly only be erected at a distance of more than two kilometers from residential areas. A regulation that makes the construction of wind turbines almost impossible, for example in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.
In order to make the dimensions clear to passers-by in Tölz on Marktstrasse, the activists set up a model wooden house at a distance of 24 meters – ten times the height of their model wind turbine. In between were several displays with the inscriptions “nuclear power plant”, “coal power plant or “airport” – all of these plants may be closer to a residential area than an ecologically sensible wind turbine, according to the activists.
Sarina Haushofer, a member of the local group, described the 10H rule as “grotesque”. She referred to the results of a study in which solutions were developed over a period of five years in order to achieve a completely regenerative energy supply for the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen by 2035. It has been known since the study was published in 2019 that wind power would be essential for this, said the 17-year-old. Nevertheless, there are hardly any areas in the district on which wind turbines may be erected.
In addition to the 10H rule, the FFF Group also blames the Oberland regional plan, which significantly restricts the scope for the construction of wind turbines. The regional plan stipulates, among other things, the places at which these may be erected. In the plan, almost the entire district is marked as an exclusion area. The Tölz activists criticize this urgently. From their point of view, suitable areas would certainly be available. Especially in the north of the district there are possible locations for new wind turbines.
The Tölzer FFF activists said they were also in contact with politicians; but so far there has been no breakthrough. The political will is simply missing, said Haushofer. Recently, however, state politicians had expressed hope and referred to the new federal government, which could initiate a change in the law regarding the 10H rule.
In addition, the activists also see a negative attitude among the population as a problem. “None of the residents have a problem with freeways, but as soon as it comes to wind turbines, the screaming is big again,” said Haushofer. The primary aim of the protest action was to address citizens and break down prejudices against wind power. In addition to the installation, passers-by also found an information board with several graphics. There, the activists contradicted, among other things, the argument that wind turbines posed a significant danger to birds. According to the young activists, cats or broken glass lying around are a significantly greater threat to the bird population.
The local group wants to keep the topic present in order to reach as many people as possible. Because if the population were to approve of wind power, political changes would also be more likely, said Haushofer.