IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - May/June 2021 - 94

history

Katinka Johansen

wind energy in Denmark
a short history

THIS HISTORY OF WIND ENERGY
in Denmark describes how top-down
policy support and bottom-up initiatives shaped the Danish wind power
sector, ultimately facilitating the integration of wind energy in the grid.
From the early days of wind power,
innovative entrepreneurs tinkered
with and improved upon the emergent
wind power technologies, but coal
and oil remained the prioritized fuels
for the almost entirely energy importdependent country. After the economic
shock of the global energy crisis in the
1970s, the Danish government focused
on energy efficiency, independence,
and diversification and sought alternatives to oil. Proactive antinuclear
movements called for alternatives to
nuclear power.
As environmental awareness increased, the energy policy goals translated to the integration of renewable
energy resources in the grid. Already
popular among the public, cooperatively
owned wind farms emerged throughout
the country. However, as the onshore
wind power technologies grew to industrial scale and height, support for
specific local wind farm projects could
no longer be taken for granted. Meanwhile, the offshore wind power sector
matured, and the price of offshore wind
power generation decreased. This brief
historical account aims to describe the
complex technological journey of the
wind power sector in Denmark.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2021.3057973
Date of current version: 19 April 2021

ieee power & energy magazine

This issue's " History " column on wind energy in Denmark explores topdown policy support and bottom-up initiatives that shaped the Danish wind
power sector. From the early days of wind power, to the global energy crisis in the 1970s, and up to the present day, this history article outlines key
events, advancements, and milestones on the technology and policy timeline in Denmark.
Our author of this month's article is Katinka Johansen. She is with the Department of the Built Environment at Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark. The department is rooted in the field of engineering, but it also contains important and comprehensive elements from the social sciences and
the humanities.
Katinka has a Ph.D. degree in social psychology with research interests
spanning energy transitions, environmental governance, and research design.
We welcome Katinka Johansen for the first time to our " History " pages.
John Paserba,
Associate Editor, " History "

Wind Energy in
Denmark
Denmark, a small Nordic country,
is well known for wind energy, wind
power technologies, and wind farms.
The country is also known for its high--
ly flexible and interconnected domestic power system as well as for integrating large amounts of renewable
energy resources (mostly wind power)
into the energy system in a relatively
short time.
In 2019, wind power accounted for
almost 50% of the total national electricity consumption in Denmark. The
country currently produces the highest amounts of wind power per capita
in the world, and approximately 2.3%
1540-7977/21©2021IEEE

of its private-sector jobs are within the
wind power industry and supply chain.
Denmark is part of the highly integrated Nordic electricity market, and
the energy and technology mix in the
country is varied.
Denmark is naturally rich in wind
resources. The Danes have harvested
wind power for centuries, and various
early wind-powered technologies have
been popular throughout history. This
account explores the modern history of
wind power in Denmark. It outlines
the early development of wind power
technologies, describes key historical events and political decisions
on this technological journey, and
tells how wind power technologies
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