Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
coastline, lat expanses of agricultural land, and blustery North Sea location
has prompted wind power expert Paul Gipe to liken Denmark's wind power
potential to that of the American Great Plains.
8
After sufering two major fossil fuel supply disruptions in the span of
three decades, the Danish government deemed it prudent to ensure the
nation was better insulated from external supply disruptions and commis-
sioned feasibility studies and research to advance wind power technology.
Research eforts would continue from 1947 to 1968,
9
ultimately laying
the technological foundation for Denmark's emergence as a world leader
in wind power. During this period, the 200 kW Gedser wind turbine was
developed (in 1956), characterized by three blades on a horizontal axis in an
upwind position, a design that still dominates commercial wind power sys-
tems to this day.
10
For many years, the Gedser turbine was the largest in the
world.
11
However, between 1945 and the early 1970s, economic justiication
for the commercialization of emergent wind power technology was weak.
Western Europe had enjoyed three decades of peace and oil was cheap and
readily available. Consequently, by 1972, oil constituted a whopping 93% of
Denmark's primary energy supply.
12
In 1973, the decision by the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OAPEC) to embargo shipments of oil to the United States and
allies in response to the US decision to resupply the Israeli army during the
Yom Kippur War led to the inlation of oil prices, and economic perturba-
tion in Danish energy circles. his catalyzed a surge of smaller wind power
system research and development (R&D) in Denmark,
13
and prompted
the government to commission a 1975 study by the Dutch Academy of
Technical Sciences to consider the feasibility of a utility-scale wind power
development program.
14
In 1976, with oil still lurking around the $60 US per barrel level (in 2010
adjusted prices), the Danish government announced a new energy policy that
was geared toward reducing oil dependence. his plan included support for the
addition of nuclear power and alternative energy generation capacity.
15
On the
heels of this announcement a national wind energy program was unveiled, fea-
turing plans to build a test center for small wind turbines at the Risø National
Laboratory for Sustainable Energy (Risø Laboratory). he objective of this pro-
gram was to centralize R&D to support aspiring manufacturers and to provide
a standardized system for certifying the quality of Danish-made wind tur-
bines, thereby providing investors with a higher degree of quality assurance.
16
Between 1976 and 1995, 10% of the government funds dedicated to energy
research were channeled into wind energy R&D.
17
he initial research strategy championed by the national government was
to create technologically advanced wind turbines designed by consortiums
