Denmark

Wind Energy in Denmark

Wind power capacity in Denmark increased by 275 MW in 2017, bringing the total to 5,521 MW. The country installed 373 MW of new turbines—including 28 MW of new offshore wind (4 turbines)—and 98 MW were dismantled.

In 2017, 32% of Denmark’s energy consumption came from renewable sources: 40% from oil, 15% from natural gas, 9% from coal, 2% from nonrenewable waste, and 2% from imported electricity. Wind-generated electricity met 43.4% of the domestic electricity supply (compared to 37.6% in 2016). The wind energy index was 102.3, compared to 90.2 in 2016.

Recently, Denmark has focused on repowering land-based turbines, constructing four new large offshore wind farms, and developing new research test facilities.

To read more about Denmark's wind energy sector, read their chapter in the IEA Wind TCP 2017 Annual Report.

National Targets

The Danish Government has an objective of 50% renewable energy by 2030. The existing agreement has been explained in earlier annual reports and can be found in the Danish Energy Agency’s publication “Energy Policy in Denmark” (December 2012).

In April 2017, the government-appointed Energy Commission presented its recommendations for a new energy policy to the Danish government. Denmark needs an ambitious, long-term energy policy as early as 2020, in order to reach the 2050 goal for a low-emissions society. The commission considers the government’s 2030 renewable energy target and the EU’s CO₂ commitment as stepping stones along the road to 2050. The commission also provides important contributions to the preparation of the government’s proposal for a new energy agreement.

Progress & Operational Details

The country added 275 MW of new wind power capacity in 2017, bringing the total to 5,521 MW, including small wind turbines. A total of 373 MW, comprised of 220 new turbines, were installed, while 98 MW (174 turbines) were dismantled.

Notably, 114 of the new turbines had a capacity at or below 25 kW. The largest rated turbine installed was an MHI Vestas 9.5-MW test turbine at the Østerild test site; unfortunately, this turbine had to be taken down after a fire in the hub. A detailed history of installed capacity and production in Denmark can be downloaded from the Danish Energy Agency website. At the end of 2017, 6,157 turbines were operational, producing a total of 14.8 TWh—a new record for wind-generated electricity.

National R,D&D Priorities & Budget

The Danish Energy Agency administers the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP). This R&D program was established by law in 2007 to support the development and demonstration of new technologies in the energy field. EUDP supports new technologies that can contribute to Denmark’s energy and climate goals.

Since the creation of the program, more than 600 projects have been initiated with funding, for a total of 3 billion DKK (402 million EUR; 483 million USD). The partners behind the projects have matched EUDP funding with an equivalent amount. The former program, ForskEL (Energinet.dk), merged with EUDP in 2017. EUDP has published a new strategy for 2017-2019, which focuses on energy technologies for international markets in the coming years.