Denmark set a new world record for wind energy generation with nearly 40 per cent of the country’s overall electricity consumption covered by wind power in 2014, the UNEP magazine Climate Action reports.
About 39.1 per cent of electricity used in Denmark came from its wind turbines, according to the climate and energy ministry, confirming the country’s position as a world leader in wind power. In January 2015, the figure peaked with just over 60 per cent of energy use in that month coming from wind power.
Rasmus Helveg Petersen, Denmark’s climate and energy minister said: “These are incredible figures. … We still plan to put up more wind turbines. We are moving forward and we have more targets.”
Mr Petersen said Denmark has “found the key to stop global warming”.
An island off the coast of Denmark called Samso aims to be completely fossil-fuel free by 2020.
In mid-July of last year, Climate Action reported that Denmark had generated 140% of the country’s electricity needs from wind. The surplus power was shared between Norway, Sweden and Germany.
It is estimated that Denmark will reach its target of producing 50 per cent of power from renewable sources ahead of the 2020 goal.
Originally published January 19 by Climate Action, a magazine of the United Nations Environment Programme, http://www.climateactionprogramme.org.