With Revenue Flowing Into Its Coffers, a German Village Broadens Its Embrace of Wind Power

By Susanti Sarkar and Lynn Liu  

RAA-BESENBEK, Germany—A two-hour drive from Hamburg, the small village of Raa-Besenbek is easily spotted from afar, its towering windmills casting long shadows across the grassy terrain. As you get closer, the turbines’ giant blades come into view, slicing through the air and hissing as they slowly turn wind into energy.