IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - May/June 2021 - 100

1985, the Danish government finally-and conclusively-voted " no " to
nuclear power in the future Danish
energy system. In 1986, a nuclea r
disaster devastated Chernobyl in the
Soviet Union.
From the top down, -r e n ewa bl e
energy technology R&D was supported by the Danish State: the government engaged in wind power R&D
programs, subsidized the harvest of re-

newables, and instructed electricity companies to develop and deploy 100-MW
wind power by the year 1990. In 1987,
close to Vordingborg in Denmark, the
largest wind farm in Europe at the
time was connected to the grid (five
turbines at 750 kW each). Technologies for wind power generation at sea
were taking form, and in 1987, the
Government Committee for Offshore
Wind Farms was established.

The Environmental Turn in
Danish Energy Planning
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted in 1992, and the Kyoto Protocol
was adopted in 1997, implementing
its objectives.
The wind power industry in Denmark
was gaining momentum. Wind turbines
grew in height, and their energy efficiency improved. The wind power capacity
in the grid increased accordingly. In the
1990s, Danish energy and environmental politics were intertwined. Minister
of the Environment Svend Auken prioritized green growth and sustainable
development and introduced a plan for
greenhouse gas reductions-initiatives
that would also benefit the Danish wind
power industry.
In 1993, the minister encouraged local councils to start the process of municipal wind farm planning. From the
mid-1990s, state subsidies encouraged
replacing older and inefficient onshore
wind turbines with modern wind power
technologies, and in 1996 the electricity
companies were instructed to increase
existing onshore wind power capacity
by a total of 900 MW by the year 2005
(see Figures 6 and 7).

Wind Power Generation
at Sea

figure 5. The Gedser wind turbine: 200 kW, 38 m/s, wind catchment area 450 m2,
diameter 24 m. (Source: Danish Museum of Science and Technology; used with
permission.)
100

ieee power & energy magazine

The very first offshore wind farm in the
world, Vindeby Offshore Wind Farm (11
turbines at 0.45 MW each), was connected to the grid in 1991. In 1995, the Offshore Commission revealed five potential offshore wind farm sites of authority
interest in Danish maritime territories,
and in 1997, Auken, now minister of the
Environment and Energy, surprisingly
promised the world 750 MW of offshore
wind farm capacity at a World Wildlife Fund meeting in Washington, D.C.
A 1997 report documented that o- ffshore
wind power generation was now much
cheaper than previously anticipated, and
in 1998, the ministry instructed electricity companies to develop five Danish
offshore wind farms with a total capacity of 750 MW.
By the late 1990s, small or large
wind farm cooperatives and individuals
may/june 2021

IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - May/June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - May/June 2021