History of Danish Wind Power - Wind Power for the World: The Rise of Modern Wind Energy - page 79

experience, as well as practical experience with sale and service
at the export market. On the other hand—when the “adventure”
finished in the end of 1986 as the tax subsidies disappeared—the
Danish wind turbine industry had a production capacity based on
85% export and a surplus production, which could by no means be
absorbed by the home market. Most of the factories went bankrupt
and some of them were re-organised, while other disappeared. After
the first 10 years of development, the wind turbine industry was
during the next decade moving into a new phase of big business,
export and international competition.

3.17 Public Support, Political Scepticism and

Local Participation

At the political level, the attitude to wind power and renewable
energy during the first 10 years of development had been
ambiguous. Already in 1979, a political majority had agreed on
giving a 30% subsidy on private investments in wind turbines, but
still renewable energy was only considered as a small supplement
in relation to fossil fuels and nuclear energy. In 1983, a leaflet from
the Danish Ministry of Energy concluded that “it is considered as
unrealistic, that big parts of the energy consumption in the modern
society could be covered by renewable sources”.
Nevertheless, the public interest in wind power was growing,
stimulated by the 30% investment grant. In 1983, more than 900
private wind turbines with a total capacity of around 20 MW have
been erected. In 1986, the number had grown to more than 1 700
and the capacity even more to 80 MW, due to the bigger size
turbines.
The first investors in Denmark were families investing in a
wind turbine to make the household self-sufficient with heat and
power. The surplus electricity could be delivered to the public grid,
though at a lower rate, than was paid for purchasing power from
the grid. When turbine sizes grew to 55 kW or more, families were
motivated to share the investments with neighbours. Cooperative
ownership became an option and already in 1980, the first
cooperative “wind turbine guild” was established. It followed a
good Danish democratic practice, which also had been used for