IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - May/June 2021 - 99

figure 4. The Gedser wind turbine
(1957). (Source: Danish Museum of
Science and Technology; used with
permission.)

and affordable energy supplies for all
Danish citizens.
In the 1970s, the Danish government gradually introduced measures
supportive of the then-embryonic
wind power industry: a wind power
feed-in tariff was introduced in 1976,
wind power research was supported,
and wind turbines certified from a
Danish test center received 30% subsidy support. The energy crisis led to
renewed interest in the Gedser turbine, and from the bottom up, local
initiative groups emerged. In 1977, the
small fishing village of Klitmøller on
the west coast of Denmark planned
and deployed a wind farm with eight
turbines with the aim of supporting
the electricity and heating of entire
village. The largest wind turbine in
the world at the time, the Tvind turbine (900 kW), was raised in 1978.
Wind turbines gradually increased
in size and efficiency, and in 1979, a
small Danish company called Vestas
commenced the mass production of
them. 1979 was also the year of the
second international energy crisis.

A Public " No " to Nuclear
While the fall of the Berlin Wall
marked the official and hopeful ending
may/june 2021

of the East-West divide, fears of the increasingly accepted reality of climate
change lingered. Environmental disasters repeatedly made the headlines,
and scientists talked of environmental
degradation and mass extinctions. In
1987, the Brundtland Report was
published by the World Commission
on Environment and Development.
In Denmark, the economy suffered after the international energy
crisis. Environmental awareness grew,
and antinuclear sentiments were predominant among the public. Environmentalists and nongovernmental
organizations, researchers and energy
experts, inventors, and local communities sought alternatives. From the
bottom up, renewables, for example,
wind and solar, were widely supported as locally available " green " and
sustainable energy resources. These

renewables were also celebrated as
alternatives to nuclear. Drawing upon
the rich Danish history of cooperatives from various sectors in society,
local initiative groups organized as
wind farm cooperatives had already
invested in and jointly financed smaller wind farms or wind turbines. As
the wind turbines grew in size and
production capacity, this Danish wind
farm cooperative movement quickly
spread throughout the country.
During the 1980s, researchers presented numerous scenarios for the future of the Danish electricity grid. One
such scenario envisioned an electricity
system based on locally harvested wind
power and Norwegian hydropower. Another suggested that 240,000 wind turbines, sited along the Danish coastline,
could supply more than half the electricity consumed in the country. In

POSITION VACANT
Siemens Chair
Syed Babar Ali School of Science and
Engineering (SBASSE), LUMS
The Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE)
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan invites
applications at the rank of Associate or Full Professor to occupy an
endowed chair position in the area of power electronics, electrical
power systems, and energy conversion. Of particular interest to the
school are various green technologies including renewable energy
generation, design of energy storage, and optimization. We are
looking for an internationally recognized scholar possessing a strong
publication record, supervision experience of graduate students, and
the ability to acquire competitive research funding. Experience in the
design and delivery of innovative academic programs with a genuine
passion for teaching, mentorship, and program building, and a proven
track record of professional leadership and service to the community
are essential credentials. The successful candidate is expected to
establish a world-class research group, collaborate with other centers
of excellence and departments at the School, acquire major research
funding and help diversify the curriculum. This endowed position
carries a professorial rank appointment at the department of Electrical
Engineering, a competitive salary package, and a research fund.
LUMS is an equal opportunity employer that offers an excellent work
environment for professional growth. The application should include a
cover letter, an up-to-date CV, research & teaching statements, to be
sent to hr-ee@lums.edu.pk with the subject Siemens Chair Search
2021. Anticipated start date is July 1st, 2021. However, this search
will continue until the appropriate candidate is identified. For more
information, please visit http://www.lums.edu.pk/sbasse

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IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - May/June 2021

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