It has been very windy lately. SMHI is warning more often than usual even for gale force winds throughout the country. We have also noticed it here in the parish where trees have been blown over or snapped.
“It’s because of climate change,” many say. “That’s something we have to be prepared for these days.”
Yes, it can be unpleasant and fun when it's windy, but it's usually the case that "something bad always has something good with it."
At Solleröskogen, up on Skuruberg and Seliträdberg, 8 wind turbines have been standing tall for about 10 years. And that's where the wind money, the so-called village money, comes from.
“It is an important resource for the development of Sollerö parish,” says Staffan Bond, chairman of the Parish Association.
"The windfall money enables projects and investments at the parish's associations. Money that will be used for projects and investments. Not for ongoing operation and maintenance. Since 2010, 37 associations have been able to share in 1.5 million kronor."
Where does the wind money come from?
We asked Mats Wik at Utanmyra, who was involved from the beginning.
“Since wind power came into being, there has always been interest from power companies in building wind turbines in the hilly Swedish forests,” says Mats. “In 2005, Gemensamhetsskogen was contacted by Vindkompaniet Öland about a suitable location for a wind turbine in Solleröskogen. At first, Rostberg was interesting, but then attention was turned to Skuruberg and Seliträ. A measuring mast of about 50 meters was erected to measure how favorable the winds were for 1 year. Since the establishment of wind power was sensitive, consideration was also given to interventions in nature such as obscuring views, wildlife or disturbing movements and noise.
The fact is that we are consuming more and more electricity in Sweden. Northern Sweden has a surplus, but in central and southern Sweden there is often a shortage of electricity.
After a 4-year process, a lease agreement was signed between the then Vindkompaniet and the landowners, who were Bergvik, Gemensamhetsskogen, the Church and private individuals. At the initiative of Vindbolaget, an agreement was also signed regarding an extra community benefit from the wind turbines. The company wanted the electricity production to benefit the entire parish.
The parish association and the local community association were appointed as Vindbolaget's contractual partner and are responsible for the distribution of the village money, which is estimated at 0.5% of the gross production value. The wind turbines started up in 2009 and today the 8 wind turbines are owned by the German energy company EnBW. Since the start, it has given the parish just over SEK 1.56 million.
Visit the page Wind money you can see what amounts associations and projects have received. There you can also see how to apply for community grants. The Vindgruppen currently consists of: Jack Gottling, Staffan Bond, Karin Wik-Land and Börje Svensson.
Lasse in Vibergsgården
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