Post by cyrilr on Jul 25, 2014 22:46:37 GMT 9.5
Denmark is often quoted by renewable energy enthusiasts as a good example of a wind power success story.
www.iea.org/stats/pdf_graphs/DKTPES.pdf
What actually happened was, Denmark replaced some oil with coal and gas and burned some waste. Even when wind, solar and geothermal are combined by the above IEA data (to make it look like something), its just not important as an energy source in Denmark.
This is pretty depressing, since Denmark has good wind resources, high sustained subsidy rates, positive public opinion, small country with good grid connects, etc. All the factors are favorable.
Also see the paper from Bill Hannahan.
www.skyscrubber.com/s_5170_energy_facts.htm
"The real poster country for wind power is Denmark, a small collection of peninsulas and islands about twice the size of Massachusetts with a population of 5.4 million. Denmark has had a strong commitment to wind power for decades. In 1979 the government initiated a 30% subsidy for the cost of building windmills. In 1999 they guaranteed wind power producers 85% of retail, $90 per mWh, for all the power they could make. They imposed a tax on fossil fuel to provide an additional $38 per mWh to wind producers. Compare that with the cost to make electricity in the U.S. in 1999; hydroelectric $7 per mWh, coal $20 per mWh, natural gas turbine $39 per mWh, nuclear $19 per mWh.
If Denmark had issued these same huge incentives to nuclear power, they would be overflowing with generating capacity.
Denmark is to wind power what the perfect storm was to boating accidents. It has the, ideal combination of optimum factors.
· A population committed to wind power
· A government committed to wind power
· High energy prices
· Low energy consumption
· Large price guarantees
· Large government subsidies
· A small country with short transmission distances, each person lives within 50 miles of a shoreline
· Surrounding water creates mild winters and summers
· Excellent wind conditions for land and sea based wind farms year-round
· Mature in-country wind turbine industry
In 2005 wind accounted for 18.5 % of the 751 watts per person Denmark used, 139 watts of wind power per person.
The United States lacks the ideal conditions of Denmark, but if we could somehow match their 139 watts per capita, it would be enough to displace 402 watts of primary coal energy, only 3.6% of the 11,300 watts that supports our lifestyle."
www.iea.org/stats/pdf_graphs/DKTPES.pdf
What actually happened was, Denmark replaced some oil with coal and gas and burned some waste. Even when wind, solar and geothermal are combined by the above IEA data (to make it look like something), its just not important as an energy source in Denmark.
This is pretty depressing, since Denmark has good wind resources, high sustained subsidy rates, positive public opinion, small country with good grid connects, etc. All the factors are favorable.
Also see the paper from Bill Hannahan.
www.skyscrubber.com/s_5170_energy_facts.htm
"The real poster country for wind power is Denmark, a small collection of peninsulas and islands about twice the size of Massachusetts with a population of 5.4 million. Denmark has had a strong commitment to wind power for decades. In 1979 the government initiated a 30% subsidy for the cost of building windmills. In 1999 they guaranteed wind power producers 85% of retail, $90 per mWh, for all the power they could make. They imposed a tax on fossil fuel to provide an additional $38 per mWh to wind producers. Compare that with the cost to make electricity in the U.S. in 1999; hydroelectric $7 per mWh, coal $20 per mWh, natural gas turbine $39 per mWh, nuclear $19 per mWh.
If Denmark had issued these same huge incentives to nuclear power, they would be overflowing with generating capacity.
Denmark is to wind power what the perfect storm was to boating accidents. It has the, ideal combination of optimum factors.
· A population committed to wind power
· A government committed to wind power
· High energy prices
· Low energy consumption
· Large price guarantees
· Large government subsidies
· A small country with short transmission distances, each person lives within 50 miles of a shoreline
· Surrounding water creates mild winters and summers
· Excellent wind conditions for land and sea based wind farms year-round
· Mature in-country wind turbine industry
In 2005 wind accounted for 18.5 % of the 751 watts per person Denmark used, 139 watts of wind power per person.
The United States lacks the ideal conditions of Denmark, but if we could somehow match their 139 watts per capita, it would be enough to displace 402 watts of primary coal energy, only 3.6% of the 11,300 watts that supports our lifestyle."
