Mayor Thomas Glashauser (CSU) called the report by the Ebersberg-Munich energy agency in the local council meeting on Thursday evening “somewhat sobering.” At the request of the municipality, the experts checked which areas in Aschheim are suitable for wind power and photovoltaic systems. The result: A 200 meter wide strip on both sides of the A99 motorway is particularly suitable for solar collectors. The fields at the container station in the south of the community could also offer space for solar panels.
In Aschheim, wind turbines can only be built in two areas. On the one hand in an approximately 500 meter wide corridor in the fields between the A 99 and the Ismaninger reservoir, on the other hand in a small area, about halfway between Aschheim and Dornach. The latter excluded all speakers at the municipal council meeting across all political groups. “I think we all agree that we don’t plan to build a wind turbine between Aschheim and Dornach,” said Mayor Glashauser.
However, it is still possible that wind energy can be generated in the fields north of the A 99. “We should at least check that and not just rule it out,” said Andreas Bichler (SPD). In order to weigh up whether a wind turbine in Aschheim makes sense, it must be clarified how effectively the wind turbine would work. The municipality has the latest investigations from 2012; they were employed north of the reservoir at the time. This area is now legally excluded. Because of the air traffic around Munich Airport, no wind turbines are allowed to be built in the entire northern municipality.
Since the 2012 study, wind power technology has also become more efficient. How much electricity the wind could generate for Aschheim has yet to be found out. One thing is clear: when a wind turbine is at full capacity, it can deliver ten times as much electricity as two hectares of solar panels.
It remained unclear until the very end what the municipal council should actually decide on. The vote was to distill a list of projects from the energy agency’s lecture in order to take them into account when the zoning plan is next changed. But which areas should be considered and which should not? Glashauser seemed to want to evade this debate. Most likely because without an expert opinion on the effectiveness there was no basis for the discussion.
The draft resolution was initially a blank check for the administration on the screen, as the suggestions of the council members were not entered for all to see. At the request of the Free Voters, however, simple notice was mutually agreed instead of a resolution. The discussion about wind turbines in Aschheim is still pending.