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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