SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Paving Path Towards Climate Goal, Denmark Sets World Record for Wind Power
'It shows that we can reach our ultimate goal, namely to stop global warming,' said climate minister.
Jan 07, 2015
Marking what the country said was a global record, in 2014, nearly 40 percent of electricity in Denmark was generated by wind.
At 39.1 percent, last year's amount of wind-generated electricity was more than double what it was a decade ago.
"We will definitely hit our 2020 goals," Climate Minister Rasmus Helveg Petersen told broadcaster DR.
Projections for that year, according to a statement released Wednesday from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Building, include halving coal consumption and increasing to 71 percent the amount of renewable-generated electricity. Fossil fuels generated 84% of electricity needs in 2000, a proportion projected to drop to 29% in 2020.
The Nordic country's target is to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in 2020 compared to 1990 levels, helped by a goal of having half of its electric consumption met by wind.
"We still plan to put up more wind turbines. We are moving forward and we have more targets," Petersen added to Danish news agency Ritzau. "We have set a one-of-a-kind world record. And it shows that we can reach our ultimate goal, namely to stop global warming," he said.
Denmark is not alone in making strides in renewable energy.
An analysis by WWF Scotland found that 2014 was a "massive year" for wind and solar in that country. For example, "wind generated enough power to supply over 100% of Scottish households during six out of the 12 months," the group stated.
And in Germany last year, renewable energy output hit a record level, providing almost 26 percent of the country's electric power, according to energy industry figures.
In the U.S., in contrast, wind power generated 4.13 percent of electricity in 2013, and is projected to provide 4.7 percent of electricity in 2015.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Marking what the country said was a global record, in 2014, nearly 40 percent of electricity in Denmark was generated by wind.
At 39.1 percent, last year's amount of wind-generated electricity was more than double what it was a decade ago.
"We will definitely hit our 2020 goals," Climate Minister Rasmus Helveg Petersen told broadcaster DR.
Projections for that year, according to a statement released Wednesday from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Building, include halving coal consumption and increasing to 71 percent the amount of renewable-generated electricity. Fossil fuels generated 84% of electricity needs in 2000, a proportion projected to drop to 29% in 2020.
The Nordic country's target is to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in 2020 compared to 1990 levels, helped by a goal of having half of its electric consumption met by wind.
"We still plan to put up more wind turbines. We are moving forward and we have more targets," Petersen added to Danish news agency Ritzau. "We have set a one-of-a-kind world record. And it shows that we can reach our ultimate goal, namely to stop global warming," he said.
Denmark is not alone in making strides in renewable energy.
An analysis by WWF Scotland found that 2014 was a "massive year" for wind and solar in that country. For example, "wind generated enough power to supply over 100% of Scottish households during six out of the 12 months," the group stated.
And in Germany last year, renewable energy output hit a record level, providing almost 26 percent of the country's electric power, according to energy industry figures.
In the U.S., in contrast, wind power generated 4.13 percent of electricity in 2013, and is projected to provide 4.7 percent of electricity in 2015.
Marking what the country said was a global record, in 2014, nearly 40 percent of electricity in Denmark was generated by wind.
At 39.1 percent, last year's amount of wind-generated electricity was more than double what it was a decade ago.
"We will definitely hit our 2020 goals," Climate Minister Rasmus Helveg Petersen told broadcaster DR.
Projections for that year, according to a statement released Wednesday from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Building, include halving coal consumption and increasing to 71 percent the amount of renewable-generated electricity. Fossil fuels generated 84% of electricity needs in 2000, a proportion projected to drop to 29% in 2020.
The Nordic country's target is to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in 2020 compared to 1990 levels, helped by a goal of having half of its electric consumption met by wind.
"We still plan to put up more wind turbines. We are moving forward and we have more targets," Petersen added to Danish news agency Ritzau. "We have set a one-of-a-kind world record. And it shows that we can reach our ultimate goal, namely to stop global warming," he said.
Denmark is not alone in making strides in renewable energy.
An analysis by WWF Scotland found that 2014 was a "massive year" for wind and solar in that country. For example, "wind generated enough power to supply over 100% of Scottish households during six out of the 12 months," the group stated.
And in Germany last year, renewable energy output hit a record level, providing almost 26 percent of the country's electric power, according to energy industry figures.
In the U.S., in contrast, wind power generated 4.13 percent of electricity in 2013, and is projected to provide 4.7 percent of electricity in 2015.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.