Air quality assessment for wind farms in Germany
Air quality assessment for wind farms in Germany: it evaluates dust and air pollutants and is often part of the permit documents.
Wind energy stands for emission-free electricity generation. Even so, possible effects on air quality must be assessed during planning, construction and operation. In Germany, an air quality report is often a fixed part of the permit documents, especially for projects subject to an EIA or in sensitive protected areas. Typical sources are construction site operations, earthworks and accompanying infrastructure measures, which can cause dust and other airborne emissions. Wind turbines with a total height of more than 50 metres require a permit under the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG). If the emission mass flows are below the de minimis values of the TA Luft, for example 1.0 kg/h for total dust, determining the ambient air quality parameters is not required.
The benchmark for the assessment is the TA Luft. It sets health-related limit values: for particulate matter (PM10) 40 µg/m³ as an annual mean and 50 µg/m³ as a daily mean with no more than 35 exceedances per year, for PM2.5 25 µg/m³ as an annual mean, and for nitrogen dioxide, which is also emitted by construction vehicles and machinery, 40 µg/m³ as an annual mean and 200 µg/m³ as an hourly value with no more than 18 exceedances. For dust deposition, a limit value of 0.35 g/(m²·d) as an annual mean applies. The additional load from a project is considered irrelevant if it does not exceed 3 per cent of the respective limit value; for dust deposition this is 10.5 mg/(m²·d). It is generally determined with a dispersion calculation under Annex 2 of the TA Luft, and the existing background load at the site is determined separately. Together they give the total load, which is compared with the limit values. For substances without a set limit value, the TA Luft provides for a special-case assessment. The results give authorities, developers and operators a basis for conditions and measures.
We prepare your air quality assessment on a sound technical basis. It meets the relevant requirements under the TA Luft (Technical Instructions on Air Quality Control), the BImSchG (Federal Immission Control Act) and, where applicable, the UVPG (Environmental Impact Assessment Act). For the dispersion of air pollutants and dust, we use the dispersion models recognised under the TA Luft as suitable for the respective application, supplemented by CFD calculations where necessary. You receive practical recommendations for reducing the dust load during the construction phase and concrete proposals for evidence preservation and monitoring. The assessment thus shows whether relevant impacts on neighbours and protected areas arise and how they can be avoided or reduced. Authorities and technical experts receive a comprehensible basis for decision-making.
The air quality assessment fits into the overall procedure: how we support the BImSchG procedure for wind turbines can be read under BImSchG: technical support for the permit procedure. We cover species protection with the special species protection assessment (saP). Excavation and construction waste also arise during the construction phase, for which there is the waste management concept for wind farms. For projects in Austria, there is the air quality assessment as part of the UVE.
