DENMARK AIMS FOR 100% NEW ENERGY

A Tricky Transition From Fossil Fuel; Denmark Aims for 100 Percent Renewable Energy

Justin Gillis, November 10, 2014 (NY Times)

“Denmark…aims to end the burning of fossil fuels in any form by 2050…[T]he Danes…essentially invented the modern wind-power industry, and have pursued it more avidly than any country…They are above 40 percent renewable power on their electric grid, aiming toward 50 percent by 2020. The political consensus here to keep pushing is all but unanimous…Their policy is similar to that of neighboring Germany, which has spent tens of billions pursuing wind and solar power, and is likely to hit 30 percent renewable power on the electric grid this year…[The 5.6 million Danes] are reaching the point where the problems with the energy transition can no longer be papered over…

“…[R]enewable power sources like wind and solar cost nothing to run, once installed. That is potentially a huge benefit in the long run…[But] they cause power prices to crash at what used to be the most profitable times of day…That can render conventional power plants, operating on gas or coal or uranium, uneconomical…Yet those plants are needed to supply backup power…With their prime assets throwing off less cash, electricity suppliers in Germany and Denmark are on edge. They have applied to shut down a slew of newly unprofitable power plants, but nervous governments are resisting, afraid of being caught short…Throughout Europe, governments have come to the realization that electricity markets are going to have to be redesigned for the new age…” click here for more

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