Wind farm Karolinapolder

Since 1998, there has been an RWE wind farm in Karolinapolder along the Volkerak near Dinteloord. After 25 years of reliable service, the turbines are replaced in 2024/2025 by four new turbines that are ready for the future of this wind farm.

Construction

RWE Image — Removal of old turbines (February 2024)

Long roadside trench containing red utility conduits and traffic bollards — Cabling at the site (September 2024)

Muddy construction site with concrete pile reinforcements and yellow helmet — Installation of foundation piles (October 2024)

Circular concrete foundation on muddy field with worker and rebar — Construction of the foundations (January 2025)

Delivery of turbine components (February 2025)

Two covered turbine nacelles labelled NORDEX M-KARO 563 with worker — Delivery of turbine components (February 2025)

Aerial view of wind turbine tower sections blades and foundation — All components for one wind turbine (February 2025)

Yellow crawler crane and blue crane lifting wind turbine blade sections — Assembly of the installation crane (February 2025)

White wind turbine tower and three blades against blue sky — Completion of the first wind turbine (February 2025)

Facts & figures

4 x 00 megawatt

Number of wind turbines

00 meter

Shaft height

00 meter

Tip height

00 meter

Blade length

(financial) regulations to benefit the environment

Commissioning

More efficient generation of renewable energy

The new modern wind turbines can generate much more sustainable electricity per turbine than previous generations of wind turbines. This is mainly due to their greater height (more wind) and larger rotor diameter (greater wind capture). To avoid turbulence caused by the larger rotor diameter, the new turbines are spaced further apart than the previous ones. Two wind turbines are located in line next to the dike, two more inland. During installation, the maximum distance from the residential area of Dinteloord was taken into account as much as possible, so that as few homes as possible are affected by shadow and noise.

Impact on the environment

Wind turbines have an impact on the environment. We try to limit this as much as possible. How?

Take a look at the overview.

As the operator of the wind farm, RWE is interested in the experiences of local residents when it comes to noise and shadow flicker. RWE uses Geluidsapp.nl to record their perceptions and gain insight into their experiences. All residents of Dinteloord can use Geluidsapp.nl. Making Geluidsapp.nl available is part of the agreements that RWE has made with the province of North Brabant (the so-called Social Preconditions Agreement).

The noise from wind turbines is highly dependent on the weather and, in particular, the wind. Geluidsapp.nl provides a forecast for the noise in the coming hours and days. This forecast is based on a combination of local, up-to-date weather forecasts and the specifications of the wind turbines. Geluidsapp.nl offers local residents the opportunity to report at any time of the day how the noise and shadow flicker from the wind turbines are being experienced at that moment. Geluidsapp.nl was developed by engineering and consulting firm Arcadis and has been used at various wind farms in recent years.

Geluidsapp reports

Since the wind farm became operational in 2025, reports have been published on the findings from the Geluidsapp (in Dutch):

January 2026

October 2025

Geluidsapp.nl is easy to access by typing geluidsapp.nl or www.geluidsapp.nl into an internet browser. The QR code will also take you to the homepage.

Geluidsapp.nl works on smartphones, tablets, and laptop/desktop computers. On smartphones, you will see the option to place a link to geluidsapp.nl on your smartphone screen.

The Geluidsapp.nl is in Dutch.

The old wind farm consisted of four Vestas 44 wind turbines with a capacity of 0.6 megawatts (MW), a hub height of 55 meters, and a tip height of 77 meters. A turbine blade was approximately 22 meters long. Together, they had an installed capacity of 2.4 MW and produced enough electricity annually to power approximately 1,500 average households. The wind turbines produced sustainable electricity for 25 years. The old turbines have been removed in 2024, including their foundations. After being refurbished, they will be reinstalled abroad.
Karolinapolder Wind Farm is equipped with detection lighting. By law, wind turbines taller than 149 meters must be equipped with obstacle lighting. This consists of a continuously burning white light during the day and a continuously burning red light after dark. The special detection lighting at Karolinapolder Wind Farm, which was installed in January 2026, ensures that the lighting only comes on in the evening and at night when an aircraft approaches the wind farm. When aircraft approach the wind farm, a signal is sent to the wind farm's central computers, which in turn switch on the red lights. This system responds in fractions of a second. As soon as the aircraft are flying at a safe distance again, the night lighting is switched off.

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During the construction of the new wind farm, RWE made agreements with the province of North Brabant regarding social preconditions. Part of the wind farm's revenues will be used to finance various schemes, such as the Energy Transition Fund and the neighbor scheme. RWE has also made € 288,000 available to improve and enhance the landscape around Dinteloord. Read more (in Dutch) about the various agreements on the website of the province of North Brabant.