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Another report casts serious doubt on the accuracy of the statement that Danes satisfy 20 percent of their electricity through wind power

Denmark's Costly Energy Plan Roadblocks



The Danish government has announced a new proposal to resolve the problem of renewable energy tax (PSO) which the EU believes to be illegal and which has become markedly more expensive for businesses and citizens than planned. Climate and Energy Minister Lars Christian Lillehot will cancel all coastal wind turbines which were agreed to be built in 2012 and promises to replace them with a new off-shore wind farm in 2025. "When I think back on the energy agreement from 2012 it was a mistake that we agreed to build the coastal wind turbines," he said. "The cancellation of the coastal wind turbines will save the country around 7 billion Krones ($1 billion). And when the new off-shore wind farm will be constructed from 2025 onwards, there will be ample budget available." (1) Since 2012 when the political agreement was reached, the cost of renewables has increased dramatically. This makes renewable alternatives a lot less attractive. Danes pay some of the most expensive electric bills in the world.
An analysis showed that in 2014 a staggering 66 percent of the average Danish electricity bill went to taxes and fees, 18 percent to transportation and only 15 percent of the price was for electricity itself. Only Germany came close with 52 percent in electricity taxes. At the behest of the EU, Denmark is now scrapping the green energy tariffs. (2) Then there's the issue of wind turbines. The debate on the effects of infrasound on the health of people and animals living near wind parks has been raging on with more intensity than ever--especially since Denmark unexpectedly halted the permitting of new wind parks due to 'health concerns' from infrasound. (3) Infrasound is defined as a low frequency sound under 16 Hz below the threshold of human hearing. Wind farms are notorious for generating these potentially harmful sub-audible frequencies. It is said that infrasound can be sensed a pressure to the ears or to the stomach, or as a slight vibration. The Minister of the Environment has been pretending all along that his country's regulations about noise emitted by wind turbines are the most restrictive in the world. Yet in October 2012 he explained that 4 to 11% of neighbors would be annoyed by the characteristic pulsing sound from wind turbines, of which up to a thousand more will be imposed on the saturated Danish countryside. By contrast, world-renowned Danish acoustics professor Henrik Moller counters that 22 to 42% of the neighbors would be significantly affected by wind turbines, day or night. (4)

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The media rave about how much power Denmark gets from wind. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman says, "If only we could be as energy smart as Denmark." Robert Bryce disagrees, "Friedman doesn't fundamentally understand what he's talking about. Denmark uses eight times more coal and twenty-five times more oil than wind." (5) Another report casts serious doubt on the accuracy of the statement that Danes satisfy 20 percent of their electricity through wind power. It was found that in 2006, scarcely five percent of the nation's electricity demand was met by wind. And over the past five years, the average is less than 10 percent, despite Denmark having carpeted its land with the machines. (6) References
  1. Anthony Watts, "Denmark cancels all coastal wind farms, delays new builds until 2025," wattsupwiththat.com, June 7, 2016
  2. 2. Karl-Johan Byttner, "Denmark has been heading the vanguard in the battle for wind power, but now admits it's become too expensive," nordicbusinessinsider.com, May 25, 2016
  3. 3. Pierre Gosselin, "Beleaguered industry: wind parks coming under fire due to health impacts from infrasound...Danish permitting halts," notrickszone.com, April 25, 2015
  4. 4. Mark Duchamp and Sarah Laurie, "Windfarm scandal in Denmark," Canada Free Press, October 29, 2012
  5. 5. John Stossel, No, They Can't, (New York, Threshold Editions, 2012)
  6. 6. "Denmark is no energy model for the United States," Institute for Energy Research, February 24, 2012


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Jack Dini -- Bio and Archives

Jack Dini is author of Challenging Environmental Mythology.  He has also written for American Council on Science and Health, Environment & Climate News, and Hawaii Reporter.


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