[I should point out that the Washington and Oregon State wind farms under construction will be many times this size - Will] ----- forwarded message ----- Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 19:32:49 -0700 From: secr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Danes to inaugurate largest windmill park ----- forwarded message ----- Subject: [gaia-l] Danes to inaugurate largest windmill park Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 07:02:42 -0300 From: "Mark Graffis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] By JAN M. OLSEN, Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (May 5, 2001 6:00 p.m. EDT) - At the entrance of Copenhagen's harbor stands a string of 20 white windmills, a symbol of Denmark's position as the worldwide leader and pioneer in the pollution-free wind energy. The world's largest offshore windmill park, with a capacity of 40 megawatts of electricity - four times more than its nearest rival offshore windmill park in Sweden - will be inaugurated by city officials and start producing energy on Sunday. The Middelgrunden park will supply 32,000 households or 3 percent of the Danish capital's electricity consumption. Ever since the late 1970s, when renewable, nonpolluting wind power emerged as an alternative energy source, environmentally aware Danes have been up front. "This is the fastest growing energy generating industry," said Soeren Krohn of the windmill manufacturers' association, adding that Danish production was expected to double by 2005. The local industry, which employs 12,000, held a 50 percent share in the world market last year by supplying 2,500 megawatts, the equivalent of a medium-sized nuclear power station. Denmark's largest producer Vestas alone had 26 percent of that. Middelgrunden's 211-foot-tall windmills with a rotor diameter of 250 feet are co-owned by Copenhagen Energy, the city's electricity company, and the 8,500-member Middelgrunden Wind Turbine Cooperative. Spokesman Jens H. Larsen said 90 percent of the cooperative's members were Danes who "wanted to be sure they get green energy," while the remainder were companies and trade unions. In 1979, Denmark began a national windmill program under pressure from grass root organizations demanding new electricity sources. Since then, the government has encouraged Danes to invest money in windmills through co-ops, like Middelgrunden. "You get a lot more support when people get a say," said Tarjei Haaland of Greenpeace. "People have no say when oil companies are in charge." Rising awareness about the so-called greenhouse effect linked to increasing temperatures widely blamed on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants using fossil fuels like oil and coal also has increased the focus on wind energy. Today, more than 5,600 windmills dot the Scandinavian nation, producing about 10 percent of Denmark's electricity. In 2030, half of Denmark's energy should come from windmills, according to the government. Depending on technological capacity and winds, the price per kilowatt hour hovers at about 4 cents, which is competitive with other energy sources, Krohn said. The idea is catching on. Last year, Denmark exported windmills to key markets including the United States, Germany, Britain, India and China. Its sales have increased sixfold in the last five years, amounting to $1.5 billion in 1999, according to the industry association. Middelgrunden will retain its position as the world's largest offshore park for at least a year. Two bigger seaside parks are expected to open in Denmark next year, and more are planned off Sweden and the Netherlands, some producing as 160 megawatts - four times the size of the Middelgrunden.
