Denmark was a pioneer in developing commercial wind power during the 1970s, and today a substantial share of the wind turbines around the world are produced by Danish manufacturers such as Vestasthe world's largest wind-turbine manufactureralong with many component suppliers. Furthermore, Denmark hasas of 2022the world's 2nd highest amount of wind power generation capacity installed per capita, behind only neighboring Sweden.
In 2024, wind power made up 59.3% of total electricity generation in Denmark, up from 56% in 2020, 20% in 2010 and 11% in 2000.Rasmussen, Jesper Nørskov. "Vindmøller slog rekord i 2014 " (in Danish) Energinet.dk, 6 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.Carsten Vittrup. "2013 was a record-setting year for Danish wind power " (in Danish) Energinet.dk, 15 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014. This contributes to the government's target of 100% renewable power generation by 2030.
Denmark had the 4th best energy architecture performance in the world in 2017 according to the World Economic Forum, and the second best energy security in the world in 2019 according to the World Energy Council.
History Danish inventor Poul la Cour experimented, taught and constructed wind power projects around the year 1900.Lyngsø-Petersen, Erik. "Poul la Cour og hans tid" Ingeniøren, 6 September 1985Hansen, Hans Christian (1985): "Poul la Cour, grundtvigianer, opfinder og folkeoplyser." Doctoral thesis in Danish with an English summary. Extract
As concerns over global warming grew in the 1980s, Denmark found itself with relatively high carbon dioxide emissions per capita, primarily due to the coal-fired electrical power plants that had become the norm after the 1973 and 1979 energy crises. Renewable energy became the natural choice for Denmark, decreasing both dependence on other countries for energy and global warming pollution.
Many countries tried to subsidise green technology such as wind power, and most failed to make it a viable industry. The Danish system was an exception, providing 30% of initial capital cost in the early years which was gradually reduced to zero, but still maintaining a feed-in tariff.Sørensen, Bent. Renewable energy: its physics, engineering, use, environmental impacts, economy, and planning aspects page 762. Academic Press, 2004. , Retrieved: 6 November 2010. The capital cost subsidy was reduced to 20% in June 1985, when wind turbines received DKK 50 million per year. Other renewable energy forms received 37 million.Møller løber med støtten, Ingeniøren, 6 September 1985 The research institution Teknologisk Institut identified many specific improvement needs, pushing development from ad hoc to systemised solutions.Opfind noget til en vindmølle, Ingeniøren, 6 September 1985
On 29 March 1985, one year before the Chernobyl disaster, the Danes passed a law forbidding the construction of nuclear power plants. In the process, the Danish grassroots movement had a substantial role. The Danish Anti-nuclear Movement's (OOA) smiling-sun logo "Atomkraft, Nej Tak" ("Nuclear Power, No Thanks") spread worldwide, and the renewable alternatives were promoted by the Danish Organisation for Renewable Energy (OVE).
Denmark adopted a target of cutting carbon emissions by 22% from 1988 levels by 2005. Planning of wind power was deliberately streamlined by authorities to minimise hurdles.Streamline Renewable Energy Policy and make Australia a World Leader Energy Matters, 11 August 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
Policy measures In June 2005, the Danish government published Energy Strategy 2025, which replaced the previous strategy from 1996. The strategy formulates policy projects that are intended to accelerate the expansion of wind power and restructure the electricity market.
The Danish government also succeeded in drawing up energy agreements from 2008 to 2011 with broad-based support, which included the most far-reaching and effective programs for the expansion of wind energy to date.Arnold, David (2021). Windkraft in Dänemark: Eine Governance-Erfolgsgeschichte mit Nachahmungspotential? , p. 83 et seqq. The parties agreed that the share of renewable energies in Danish energy consumption should be 20% in 2011. The price for wind energy was also increased in the agreement. The parties also agreed to construct new offshore wind turbines with a capacity of 400 MW by 2012. The agreement introduced a compensation scheme for residents living near wind turbines, a scheme for purchase rights and a guarantee fund.
After the government expressed the long-term vision of a Denmark 100% independent of reliance on fossil fuels during the current agreement, in independent commission on climate change policy proposed detailed recommendations in September 2010 on how this vision can be achieved. This led to Energy Strategy 2050 a year later. The strategy consists of three tracks, as one of them focusses on more renewable energy with onshore and offshore wind power. It included tenders for over 1000 MW in offshore including Kriegers Flak in the Baltic Sea. Kriegers Flak is also used to connect Denmark and Germany with a 400MW cable, through the German Baltic 2 Offshore Wind Farm, and it is the wind farm with the lowest guaranteed price (øre/kWh) for large offshore wind farms in Denmark. In addition, the distance requirements for wind turbines were evaluated and revised. Such subsidies as compensation schemes for residents living near onshore windmills lost relevance and the offshore area was taken into focus.
Ever since the first energy agreement with outstanding consensus in parliament in 2008, Denmark grew their wind power share in domestic electricity production from 19% to 55% in 2019.
For the policy approach, one may note the adoption of incrementalism that helps this to be developed ahead of other more rational approaches such as those adopted by USA and UK. See the use of Wind Power development in the example section of Incrementalism.
Wind resources
Denmark has relatively modest average wind speeds in the range of 4.9–5.6 m/s measured at 10 m height. Onshore wind resources are highest in the western part of the country, and on the eastern islands with coastlines facing south or west. Wind is higher in autumn and winter and lower in summer, and Denmark also has about 2.3 GW of solar power. The country has very large offshore wind resources, and large areas of sea territory with a shallow water depth of 5–15 m, where siting is most feasible. These sites offer higher wind speeds, in the range of roughly 8.5–9.0 m/s at 50 m height.Case Study: Wind energy in Denmark . Managenergy.net. Retrieved 11 June 2011. There have been no major problems from wind variability, although there is a temporary problem resulting from the connection of a large bloc of wind power from offshore wind farms to a single point on a weak section of the transmission network.Diesendorf, Mark (2007). Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy, UNSW Press, p. 121. The wind resource over Denmark was mapped in 1999 by EMD International A/S and Risø National Laboratory. The mapping was made using a 200 m grid resolution using the models in WindPRO and WAsP. The results were validated on more than 1200 wind turbines nationwide.Danish Wind Resource Map (1999). Available online at www.emd.dk/windres . Emd.dk. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
Denmark is connected by transmission line to other European countries (e.g. Cross-Skagerrak)Gellert, Bjarne Christian. Electricity interconnections Energinet.dk, 22 August 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2011. at an electricity interconnection level (transmission capacity relative to production capacity) of 44% in 2015,"Achieving the 10% electricity interconnection target " page 2-5. European Commission, 25 February 2015. Note: Slovakia has 61% and Hungary has 29% and increased since then. Denmark has also retained 6 GW of its traditional power plants, therefore it does not need to install additional peak-load plants to balance its wind power. Instead, it purchases additional power from its neighbours when necessary. With some strengthening of the grid, Denmark plans to increase wind's share even further.Diesendorf, Mark (2007). Greenhouse solutions with sustainable energy, UNSW Press, pp. 121–22. In 2010 the plan was to reach 50% of consumption in 2020 "Denmark has a strategy to raise this share to 50 percent and the necessary measures are in the process of being implemented". (which was almost met), and up to 84% in 2035.Lindboe, page 3
Analysts expect the cost of wind power to be 30 øre/kWh and its handling cost to be 15 øre/kWh, being lower than coal and natural gas at 55 øre/kWh minimum.Lindboe, page 6 Due to their inability to follow load wind power gets a lower price.Lindboe, page 14
Consumption related to wind power Danish district heating plants use 100 petajoule/year,Lindboe, page 29 but little of this consumption is from 180 MW of electrode boilers installed in powerplants or 374 MW of large heat pumps. The boilers are only used to soak up the powerplant's own electricity when prices are negative, to avoid paying tax.Wittrup, Sanne. "Dong: Vores kraftværker bruger allerede billig vindmøllestrøm i elpatroner" Ingeniøren, 15 January 2015. Retrieved January 2015.Blarke, Morten Boje. "Liste over el-drevne varmepumper i fjernvarmen " SmartVarme.dk, 12 February 2014. Retrieved January 2015.Capion, Karsten. "Analyse nr. 9 – Mulighederne for den fremtidige fjernvarmeproduktion i decentrale områder " Danish Energy, 15 January 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015. Expansion of wind powered district heating is calculated to be economically efficient without taxes.Lindboe, page 7Blarke, Morten Boje. "Store eldrevne varmepumper" Aalborg University, 17 April 2013. Retrieved January 2015.Wittrup, Sanne. "Varmepumper kunne have øget værdien af vindstrøm med 1,75 mia. på fem måneder" Ingeniøren, 8 June 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
The number of household heat pumps has stalled at 70,000 in 2015 due to tax-free wood pellets, and the goal of 300,000 small heat pumps in 2035 is unlikely to be reached, reducing the value of more wind power unless electricity tax is reduced.
Installed capacities and production
As of 2023, the total installed wind power capacity in Denmark was 7,510 MW, of which 4,860 MW were onshore and 2,650 MW were offshore.
At the end of 2015, Denmark's total installed capacity for wind power stood at 5,070 MW.
Denmark has the highest proportion of wind power in the world. In 2015, Denmark produced 42% of electricity from wind, up from the 2014 record of 39% of total power consumption. For the month of January 2014, that share was over 61%. The month of lowest wind power share was July at 23%. Denmark also had 548 MW of solar power (790 MW in late 2015). A peak generation period occurred on 21 December 2013 when the wind share was 102%, and for 1 hour the share was 135%.
In 2005, Denmark had an installed wind power capacity of 3,127 MW, which produced 23,810 TJ (6.6 TW·h) of energy, giving an actual average production of 755 MW at a capacity factor of 24%. In 2009, Denmark's wind capacity grew to 3,482 MW; most of the increase came from the 209 MW Horns Rev 2 offshore wind farm, which was inaugurated on 17 September 2009 by Crown Prince Frederik.Matthew McDermott. "Denmark Inaugurates World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm – 209 MW" Treehugger. In 2010, capacity grew to 3,752 MW, and most of the year's increase came from the Rødsand II off-shore wind farm.