Energiequelle has commissioned a new wind farm in the municipalities of Loop and Schönbek in the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district. Five Nordex N149 wind turbines, with a total capacity of 28.5 MW, will in future supply around 20,000 households with climate-friendly electricity on a net basis and save around 27,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
The turbines, each with a hub height of 125 m, are situated on two priority areas designated in the Schleswig-Holstein Regional Wind Energy Plan. Approval for the project was granted in September 2023, followed by the Federal Network Agency’s approval of the feed-in tariff in December 2023. Following the start of construction in August 2025, the wind farm has now been successfully completed and commissioned, having overcome challenging construction phases during the unusually harsh winter.
Anti-collision system and public participation
As well as generating climate-friendly electricity, the project sets new standards in nature and species conservation. The wind farm is operated using an anti-collision system in which two camera systems track and analyse the flight paths of red kites and white-tailed eagles. If there is a risk of collision, the affected turbines are automatically shut down.
Another key priority for Energiequelle is to strengthen regional economic growth and public participation. To this end, the company has made a one-off payment of 175,000 euros to the Energiequelle Foundation for each wind turbine, amounting to a total of 875,000 euros. The funds will be made available to the municipalities of Loop, Schönbek and Mühbrook, as well as to charitable organisations, for regional projects over a period of 20 years – a regional committee will decide on the allocation of these funds.
Furthermore, as part of a community savings scheme, local residents were given the opportunity to benefit financially from the wind farm. They were able to invest from as little as 500 euros and secure a fixed interest rate of five per cent over five years. In this way, Energiequelle creates additional financial benefits for the region and strengthens local support for the energy transition.
“We are convinced that the project is not only on a strong financial footing, but will also provide a positive boost for the region and the energy transition in the long term. Special thanks go to the municipalities of Loop, Schönbek and Hoffeld, as well as the Bordesholm District Office, for their excellent and trusting cooperation throughout the entire project development and construction phase,” says Eva Sommer, Head of Project Management at Energiequelle GmbH.
With the commissioning of the wind farm, Energiequelle is strengthening the regional energy supply in Schleswig-Holstein and highlighting the importance of partnership-based projects for the success of the energy transition in Germany.
