17 percent renewable energy – and on the way up

17 percent renewable energy – and on the way up

The proportion of renewable energy in Denmark is to be increased to 20 percent in 2011. In 2020 the proportion is expected to be 30 percent.

Ministry of Climate and Energy of Denmark

In 2007 just under 17 percent of the total energy consumption in Denmark came from renewable sources of energy. The most obvious source is the many wind turbines to be seen in the Danish countryside. 30 percent of the Danish electricity supply is based on renewable energy, and wind power contributes 20 percent. The many small wind turbines that can be seen today have, however, in many ways had their day. Denmark has just under 5,300 wind turbines, but the 250 biggest supply more than 20 percent of the total wind power in Denmark. In the future we will see fewer but larger wind turbines, with many of them being located in offshore wind turbine parks, where they can produce more and are less visible.

The largest part of the Danish production of renewable energy comes, however, from the burning of  biomass, including biodegradable waste. When combined with the effective exploitation of fuel in Combined Heating and Power (CHP) plants – which produce both heat and electricity from the same fuel – biomass contributes around ten percent of the total Danish energy consumption.

In February 2008 the parties in the Danish parliament entered into a broad-based agreement concerning Denmark’s future energy policy. The agreement means that the proportion of renewable energy is to be increased to 20 percent in 2011. In 2020 the proportion is expected to be 30 percent – the EU target is 20 percent. (Photo: Jørgen Schytte/Scanpix)