Denmark Sets World Record for Wind Power Production

Denmark has been long been a pioneer in wind power, having installed its first turbines in the mid-1970s when oil shocks sent the import-dependent nation on a quest for energy security.  Thirty-seven years later, the country has set a new world record for wind production by getting 39.1 percent of its overall electricity from wind in 2014.  This puts the Northern European nation well on track to meet its 2020 goal of getting 50 percent of its power from renewables.

The news of Denmark’s feat adds to the national records the U.K. and Germany set for 2014 and further establishes Europe as a leader in the wind power industry.  This is especially true when it comes to offshore resources, as countries like Scotland, England, and Denmark build out their offshore wind farms.  Wind generated enough electricity to power just over 25 percent of U.K. homes in 2014 — a 15 percent increase from 2013. In December, Germany generated more wind power, 8.9 terawatt-hours, than in any previous month.

A big source of the surge of Denmark’s wind production this year came from the addition of around 100 new offshore wind turbines.  In January of 2014, the peninsular country got just over 61 percent of its power from wind.  This is more than three times the overall production of 10 years ago, when wind only made up 18.8 percent of the energy supply. The country has a long-term goal of being fossil fuel-free by 2050.
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Through expanding wind power and converting more heat pumps and power plants to use biomass, the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Building believes that the country could get 71 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.  In 2000, that share was just 16 percent.  Electricity only makes up around a tenth of Denmark’s total energy usage, which is overall still dominated by fossil fuels.  This ratio is steadily shifting, especially when it comes to coal, use of which is supposed to drop by about 57 percent from 2012 to 2020.

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