Unusually strong winds experienced by Danish residents last week have led to a surge in the efficiency of windmills that are heavily used in this European country to generate electricity.
On Thursday evening (July 9), Denmark's wind farms produced 116% of the electricity needed for the entire country's consumption. At 3:00 am on Friday, when power consumption dropped, the amount of electricity generated by the mills reached 140% of what was needed. Interconnecting power lines from Denmark, Norway, Germany and Sweden made it possible to distribute the excess energy created in Denmark among other European countries:
- 80% of the excess electricity was transferred to Germany and Norway, whose hydroelectric systems allow it to be stored for further use;
- the remaining 20% were transferred to Sweden.
Oliver Joy, representative of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA, European Wind Energy Association), commented optimistically on this event: Wind energy and renewable energy sources can be a solution for decarbonization [getting CO 2 close to equilibrium for the water-air system] and supplying electricity during times of high demand.”
Three-quarters of Denmark's wind energy is generated by government-sponsored offshore wind farms.