Дания = ВЕИ! Denmark has pledged to completely eliminate fossil fuels from its national energy mix by 2050. Thats right: no coal, oil, or gas in the production of electricity — nor in the transportation sector, either. To fulfill that vow, Denmark plans to rely heavily on the development of wind power. So far the country has installed more than 5,000 separate turbines with a total capacity of nearly 5 gigawatts, equivalent to the energy generated by more than 20 American coal-fired power plants. In the first half of 2014, wind accounted for 41.2 percent of Denmarks electricity consumption — a world record. The first, Kornbluth told VICE News, is a government willing to impose progressive energy policies and a citizenry willing to accept them. Inspired by the oil embargoes of the 1970s, in subsequent decades the Danish government promoted large offshore wind installations and subsidized turbines by raising revenues through a carbon tax. Especially important were feed-in tariffs, a policy through which the government sets a guaranteed price on the power utilities purchase from renewable producers, helping them compete with fossil fuels. The second factor, said Kornbluth, was the Danes establishment of a system of wind turbine cooperatives, in which communities and individuals profit from excess power sold back to the grid. By 2001, some 86 percent of the countrys wind power was owned by cooperatives, with over 100,000 total members. The final factor in Denmarks success is a quirk of its geopolitical positioning. It has strong electrical linkages to Norway, which possesses abundant hydropower, and Sweden, which has ample nuclear output. Those sources of power serve as crucial backstops for Denmark on days when the wind doesnt blow and also provide outlets for the country to export electricity when its unusually gusty. And while Norway plans to begin selling its excess hydro to the UK and Sweden may close its nuclear plants, for now, Denmark is in the middle of a gigantic grid, Kornbluth said. https://news.vice/article/denmark-says-it-will-produce-100-percent-of-its-energy-with-renewables-by-2050
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:45:19 +0000
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