Denmark just had a particularly windy day.
But for the Danes, it's a godsend!
Thanks to its wind farms, Denmark has been able to fully meet the electricity needs of its inhabitants!
But that's not all, the wind turbines have even generated a surplus of electricity.
This surplus was later exported to Norway, Germany and Sweden.
As reported by The Guardian , Denmark produced 116% of its electricity needs thanks to wind turbines .
And at 3 a.m. the next day, when electricity consumption was lower, that figure even jumped to 140%.
80% of this excess electricity was sold to Germany and Norway, which store this energy in hydroelectric facilities for later use.
As for Sweden, it received the remaining 20% of the electricity surpluses.
According to Oliver Joy, spokesperson for the European Wind Energy Association:
"These figures prove that a world powered by 100% renewable energy is far from a crazy dream!
"Wind energy, like all renewable energies, is an effective solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions , and also guarantee our energy production in periods of high demand."
But the good news doesn't stop there! Indeed, the wind farms in Denmark were not even being operated to their full capacity!
According to Kees van der Leun, commercial director of the energy consulting company Ecofys, an increase in the number of wind installations could even allow Denmark to produce half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020!
The question now is how to replicate the Danes' feat on a European scale ?
To achieve this, Oliver Joy of the European Wind Energy Association believes we need to:
- modernize the dilapidated infrastructure of the continent's electricity network,
- ensure that all countries open their borders to renewable energies,
- strengthen electrical interconnections between European countries and
- develop a single electricity market for the benefit of renewables.
Currently, around 75% of Denmark's wind capacity comes from onshore wind farms, a project that would never have been possible without the help of the Danish government.
One thing is certain, Denmark's impressive numbers are putting the rest of the world to shame.
What are we waiting for to take concrete measures?
