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Germany has become one of the most successful nations for wind power in Europe, and it can be argued that community investment has contributed significantly to this. The idea of community investment is that local people buy a share in the wind project, and are also part of the decision making and planning processes. One such example is Marienkoog, in North Friesland, locals bought shares in a wind farm and watched the turbines being constructed. In this case, a third of the shares in a 'repowering' project. were offered to the locals. The project entailed replacing old turbines by new ones. In the Galmsbüll Bürgerwindpark, of which Marienkoog is part, 5 million dollar is invested by 240 local residents. This number is large, as it corresponds to about 40 percent of the district's adult population.
An advantage of community investment in wind farms is that general acceptance of installing new wind turbines is much higher. People are less opposed to changes in the landscape of agricultural regions. Another advantage of close engagement with local residents is that additional benefits of wind farms can be communicated clearly. For example, the local council receives income from the business tax paid by the wind farm. This is in addition to pivate returns. Last year, the seven Siemens 3.6 MW (Megawatt) turbines at Marienkoog produced more electricity than expected, which led to a high return for investors. "We have a very strong relationship with the communities in North Friesland," according to Jess Jessen, who is a farmer and one of the originators of the Marienkoog community investment program. "If you have so many local people involved you get greater acceptance."
