Denmark generates record 140% of its electricity needs from wind power

Wind power generated a record 140 per cent of Denmark’s electricity needs on Thursday, enabling the country to export surplus energy to neighbours including Germany, Norway and Sweden.

Data shows that Denmark generated 116 per cent of the nation’s electricity needs from wind turbines and by 3am on Friday morning the figure had increased to 140 per cent.

80 per cent of the power surplus has been shared between Germany and Norway, while Sweden took about a fifth of the excess power.

Live data published on the website of the Danish transmission systems operator showed that while generating 140 per cent of the nation’s electricity needs, there was still the potential for even more wind power production in their turbines collective 4.8GW capacity.

Denmark’s success in the wind power sector was recently highlighted in a report by the European Commission Joint Research Centre, in its annual report on wind energy technology, along with Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Romania, and Germany, as countries generating between 10 per cent and 40 per cent of their electricity from wind energy.

Denmark has been making significant investments in wind power and in 2014 the nation’s turbines produced over 39 per cent of electricity demand.

It is estimated that Denmark will reach their target of producing 50 per cent of power from renewable sources ahead of the 2020 goal.

A further 1.5GW in offshore wind farms will be added by the end of the decade.