Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
he malleability of wind power development policy was most evident as the
program matured and it became obvious that higher concentrations of installed
wind power capacity were desirable in order to minimize connection costs and
try and mitigate growing public concern over adverse aesthetic impacts associ-
ated with Denmark's numerous small wind system installations. On two sepa-
rate occasions, the government announced supplemental policies to upgrade
smaller capacity turbines with larger models. In a similar vein, the notion that
wind farms might be an efective way to mitigate the aesthetic impact of wind
turbine siting catalyzed enhanced government pressure for utilities to drive
development.
138
Yet as an indication of the luid nature of government policy,
when it became apparent that onshore wind farms were inlaming commu-
nity dissonance, the government shifted its focus to encourage ofshore devel-
opments. In fact, the government created a Committee for Ofshore Wind
Turbines speciically for the purpose of optimizing ofshore developments.
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he seemingly erratic nature of Danish wind power policy can be considered
to be a manifestation of
gradualism
—policy design that evolves in response to
dynamic market conditions and changing expectations of stakeholders. Given
the conciliatory nature of politics in Denmark, a gradualist policy has been
efective because evolving policy better supports emerging market needs and
stakeholder expectations.
Finally, is worth emphasizing that the main government strategy of sub-
sidizing wind power generation through tax credits and FITs (that were
inanced by passing through costs to end-consumers) was a product of
high iscal debt loads and social willingness to pay higher energy prices in
return for environmentally benign technologies. If a government surplus
had existed, the subsidization approach might have been diferent because
Danish politics tends to favor direct government support. Similarly, if elec-
tricity consumers would have been less willing to accept higher electricity
prices, the government might have had to resort to a diferent policy instru-
ment to inance wind power development.
his all points to one conclusion—a unique conlation of social, tech-
nological, economic, and political factors all conspired to sire the types of
wind power development policies exhibited in Denmark. If any of these
inluences would have been dramatically diferent, the story of wind power
development in Denmark might have also been substantially diferent.
4.8 WHAT TO EXPECT GOING FORWARD
In March 2012, Denmark's new ruling coalition under the leadership of Helle
horning-Schmidt dropped a bombshell on the Danish energy community.
