By Anders Lorenzen
The Danish grid operator Energinet, just before Christmas on the 23rd of December, released encouraging figures, demonstrating that Denmark would run mainly on green energy during the Christmas period.
This comes on the back of the fact, that 42% of Denmark’s electricity had been produced by wind power in 2015 (the last year that we have data for), and with that percentage almost certain to have risen in 2016.
According to the forecasts, during the hour when the production of wind power would be at its peak, a staggering 157% of Denmark’s electricity demand would be produced by windmills. During these hours Denmark would be exporting its surplus to neighbouring Sweden, Norway and Germany. And when Denmark is producing less than 100% from wind power, it would import excess wind power from Germany.
The grid operator urged Danes to take advantage of this surplus of green energy, stating: “if you get an electric car, a selfie drone, 3 D glasses or some other battery-powered gadget for Christmas, make sure to charge the batteries during the holidays if you are in Denmark. “
The high surplus of wind energy was due to storm Urd hitting Denmark on the 24th and 25th of December, and extending into the 26th.
However, Energinet emphasised that the wind power surge could not keep up with peak demand on the evening of the 24th when Danes are cooking their Christmas roast in the oven. Most Danish ovens are electric and not gas powered.
Denmark is currently the world leader in wind power hardware. One of Denmark’s largest companies is Vestas, the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer. The second largest manufacturer Siemens Wind Power is also based in Denmark.