There’s been plenty of criticism of wind power over the past few years, as adoption grows and potential side effects emerge. That hasn’t stopped energy progressive Denmark, which set a world record by generating a huge 39 per cent of its electricity via wind in 2014.
According to a new report from Think Progress, the country has added over 100 new offshore wind turbines to its arsenal this year — making it possible to generate nearly 40 per cent of its electricity needs out of thin air (so to speak). The Local Denmark adds that the push is part of Denmark’s aggressive goal of completing weening itself off of coal power in under a decade.
But there’s a major caveat afoot here, as well. Wind may have powered nearly half of Denmark’s electricity demands, but The Local points out it’s still a tiny amount of the country’s overall energy usage:
But while wind power accounted for nearly 40 per cent of Denmark’s electricity in 2014, wind only covers about five per cent of the nation’s total energy use. According to the Danish Energy Association, electricity only makes up one tenth of Denmark’s total energy usage and the use of fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas still accounts for about three fourths of Denmark’s total energy use.
So while a new world record for wind power is great, Denmark — and the rest of us behind it — still have a long, long way to go when it comes to weening ourselves off carbon-heavy energy sources. [Think Progress]
Picture: AP/Jasper Carlberg/POLFOTO