Wind Turbine from Hof Heads to German Museum: A Local Solution, Global Impact
German Museum Incorporates Home-built Wind Turbine from Bavarian Resident - Windmill from Bavaria, first of its kind, delivered to the German Museum
Get ready, folks! The oldest citizen-powered wind turbine in Bavaria is making a grand move to the German Museum in Munich. Known as the pride of Selbitz, this badass turbine is set to become a permanent exhibit starting 2028, joining the "Energy - Power" permanent display. museum spokesman Gerrit Faust confirmed the exciting news to the German Press Agency.
Wolfgang Degelmann, the district manager of the Nature Conservation Association (BN) in Hof, affectionately refers to this wind turbine as his "baby." Originally set up in 1995 and operational since 1996, this turbine was a brilliant response to the filthy air issue plaguing the region. With three pollutant sources—the coal mining areas in the nearby Czech Eger Valley, the Ruhr area, and the chemical plant near Halle on the Saale—the region of Hof once had the worst air quality in Bavaria. This led to an increase in pseudocroup cases, an upper respiratory inflammation mostly affecting infants and young children.
To combat this disaster, the BN decided to build a wind turbine to produce clean energy locally. The funding for this green machinery came from a unique citizen participation model. Locals were given the opportunity to invest anywhere between 1,000 and 20,000 DM in the turbine's financing, with them gaining a share in the profits. This raised 350,000 DM of equity capital, with Bavaria providing a grant of 100,000 DM and the BN borrowing 900,000 DM.
"With this turbine, we took the people with us and proved that citizen participation in renewable energy projects works!" shares Degelmann proudly. Today, there are more than 1,000 wind turbines in Bavaria, spewing out green electricity, thanks to this visionary step.
The 10H rule, which dictated strict wind turbine-residential building distance regulations in Bavaria, was relaxed in 2022, making it easier to construct additional wind power plants. This decision has resulted in more wind turbines popping up across the state.
In the upcoming "Energy - Power" exhibition at the German Museum, visitors will see only the turbine's gondola, reveals Faust. For a better understanding of the wind power plant's operation, one can even peek inside.
Moreover, the idea behind citizen-funded wind turbines will be highlighted in the exhibition. The museum team is excited about acquiring the wind turbine from Selbitz, according to Faust: "We didn't just land an exhibit of the right size, but one with a captivating story too!"
Wind energy generated by the people, for the people - that's the essence of this incredible project. Let's leave this turbine with a parting thought: "We've created a cleaner, greener world, one gust of wind at a time!"
- The wind turbine from Selbitz, originally set up in 1995 in Bavaria, will be moving to the German Museum, joining the "Energy - Power" permanent display in 2028.
- The turbine, affectionately referred to as a "baby" by Wolfgang Degelmann, the district manager of the Nature Conservation Association (BN) in Hof, was a response to air quality issues in the region.
- The BN funded this green machinery through a unique citizen participation model, allowing locals to invest and gain a share in the profits, raising 350,000 DM of equity capital.
- With the 10H rule relaxed in 2022, more wind turbines have been popping up across Bavaria, spewing out green electricity.
- In the upcoming "Energy - Power" exhibition at the German Museum, visitors will see only the turbine's gondola and learn about the turbine's operation, as well as the concept of citizen-funded wind turbines.
- The wind turbine from Selbitz represents a powerful example of wind energy generated by the people, for the people, creating a cleaner, greener world one gust of wind at a time.