Many countries worldwide have a goal to bet net-zero targets by 2050. However, Denmark has set even a more ambitious goal. It is planning on getting rid of fossil fuels completely by 2030. And it is going to reach this goal with the help of wind power. Read more about the new wind energy record set by Denmark
Despite the fact that in the 19th-century electricity has been brought to Denmark by Poul la Cour, the country still relied solely on importing coal. Only after the oil crisis, Denmark started to consider the production of wind power again. And when twenty more years have passed, the country was recognized as the first that has created an offshore wind farm.
Recently, Energinet, the country’s leading energy operator, stated that 47% of the whole amount of energy created by Denmark was by the help of wind farms. This percentage marks the largest record in this sphere. The previous one has been set in 2017 and was 43%.
How Can Denmark Produce That Much Electricity from Wind Power?
Related: Denmark – The World’s Leading Wind Power Nation
First of all, this has been made possible due to the country’s geographical position. Both the onshore and offshore wind plays a primary role in producing energy.
Secondly, beginning in 1977, Denmark began to place wind turbines, and the first one was onshore with a capacity of 326 MW. When years have passed, the county continued to install more and more of those turbines. And in 2019, the county launched another offshore wind farm. But the only difference between this one and the previous ones is that it is huge and has increased energy production by 15%. It is extremely powerful and is capable of supporting around 20% of Denmark’s homes.
Getting Closer to the Target for Reducing Emissions
Denmark, along with many of the countries around the world, has set a goal to become net-zero on gas emissions in 30 years. It is one of the most important targets that a country can set since it will combat climate change.
You may also like to read: Denmark’s Climatorium Built to Protect the Asset of Salt Water
But, Denmark has realized that it has more chances in the transition from the bad fossil fuels by increasing the implementation of wind stations. The county has set a target to reach the 50% mark and by 2030 to become a country that uses only the wind power to support its electricity needs.
The number of electricity created from the wind stations the previous year has set a new world record since nearly half of the energy used by Denmark was fossil fuels free and received from wind farms. If you get assigned to write a paper on this topic, you won’t need any essay help to do it, just remember that this country is on its way to a fossil fuel-free future.
What Will the Next Steps Be?
Since the main country’s goal that has been recently set presupposes the reduction of fossil fuels, Denmark is putting all of its efforts into exploring new methods that will help them to reach that goal. One of such methods is electrolysis. This method entails the usage of excess electricity to make hydrogen. This element is known to be a power source that can take part in the decarbonization process of an energy system. The main benefit of using such chemical elements is that when it gets mixed with oxygen, the only by-products that will be there are heat and water.
You may also like to read: Danish Water Alliance Helps Solve California’s Water Challenges
Another method is to make gas ammonia by combining nitrogen and hydrogen
The county believes that this method is full of potential. Despite the methods that haven’t been tried out yet, Denmark has a solid plan with four projects set for the next decade to implement.
One of those projects entails commissioning the wind farm in the Baltic Sea and connecting it to the joint electricity grid. The other three projects imply the creation of three more wind farms, with one of them being named after the god of thunder Thor. The other two farms are still in the planning stage.
In the beginning, there have been some problems with funding. However, now many private companies began to invest in these projects. So, soon these wind farms will be up and running.
Also, at the end of 2019, it was announced that there is one more project that presupposes the creation of artificial islands. They will be positioned in the North Sea and will be surrounded by a wind farm. The capacity of those turbines should be of 10 GW.
New Wind Energy Record Set by Denmark – The Bottom Line
Denmark has realized the potential of building more offshore wind farms. Moreover, the county believes that this type of farms will help them to reach the electricity goal in 2030. Without a doubt, onshore wind turbines also make a great difference for the country. But, if to take into account the country’s location and its climate, it can be stated that offshore farms will make a bigger change.
Feature image (on top): Wind Europe
New Wind Energy Record Set by Denmark, written exclusively for Daily Scandinavian