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WIND POWER

The total wind power capacity of already installed wind power turbines in Denmark by the end of 1996 was 800 MW (and in 1997 has increased further to now close to 950 MW). The goal for 2005 is 1,500 MW. The far most of these are expected to be build on land. However, because of land use considerations, erecting wind turbines on land is getting increasingly difficult. This is why offshore wind turbines is presumed to be the main wind power facility in the future. Hence, Energy 21 concludes that out of total 5,500 MW total output from wind turbines in 2030, 4,000 of these will be from offshore sites. Globally, total wind power generating capacity by the end of 1996 was app. 6,000 MW. Hence, the planned Danish increase of 4,000 MW constitutes a significant development both nationally and globally.

In Denmark, an inter-ministerial sub-committee of the Danish Government, dealing with offshore wind turbines in 1995, concluded that the offshore wind generated energy capacity could be as high as 7,-8,000 MW. At the same time, the committee identified four sites where considerable offshore capacity could be realized without violation of significant rights and commitments.

In February 1996 the Danish utilities and the Minister for the Environment and Energy, Svend Auken, agreed on the preparation of an action plan for the construction of offshore wind turbines. This action plan was finalized in July 1997 and shows that it is possible to expand wind power in each of the four offshore sites in modules of app. 150 MW (by the use of new 1.5 MW wind turbines) aiming at a coverage of 4,000 MW offshore in 2030. Including wind turbines on land, this is predicted to be 50% of Danish electricity consumption by then.

Furthermore, the electricity produced would me much cheaper than previously expected. As for the first phase, production prices are expected to be around 35-38 rre per kWh (app. 5.4-5.8 US cents per kWh). Coal fired generated electricity costs are around 28-30 rre per kWh and with the CO2-tax of 10 rre per kWh the electricity produced by offshore wind turbines is quite competitive.


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