Danish Pioneering of Modern Wind Power - Wind Power for the World: The Rise of Modern Wind Energy - page 169

for Renewable Energy (OVE)] initiated campaigns describing the
problems with nuclear power and promoting RES as an alternative,
but they were lacking support from “official Denmark”.
As president of the Academy of Technical Sciences (ATV) from
1971 to 1977, I decided, however, to establish a committee that
analysed the potential for wind power in Denmark. The committee
published its first report in 1975 proposing a broad wind energy
program in Denmark (Lykkegaard , 1975). This was followed

by a second report from the Academy in 1976 outlining a five-
year program in the field of wind energy (Hvelplund

et al.

., 1976).
Due to the general prestige of the Academy these reports were
important as a supplement to the eforts of grassroot movements
and small private wind energy innovators.
Some of the Danish utilities apparently regarded the two
Academy reports as a serious threat to their planned introduction
of nuclear power. To my surprise they responded with a direct
attack on me as president of ATV. They argued that the Academy
could not have a president who was trying to prevent technological
development in Denmark. The utilities were apparently so
focused on nuclear power that they completely overlooked the
significant technological challenge in developing modern wind
power. This was the first time in the history of the Academy
that a group of members had launched an attempt to get rid of
the president before the end of his period. However, the large
majority of the Academy members did not agree with the lack of
confidence in the president so I stayed in office to the end of my
term. But it was an early illustration of a new style in the
technological discussion concerning potential energy systems.
In retrospect it is surprising that this technological question
could give rise to so strong feelings and to the introduction of a new
style with personal attacks on people of a diferent opinion. This
was mainly performed by the pro-nuclear technical representatives
from utilities and universities while the NGOs focused on the
problems of nuclear power and the advantages of RES. Here
are a few examples of statements in the media by supporters of
nuclear power:

et al

• The primary Danish engineering journal in a leading article in
1974 described the opponents to nuclear power as “political
swindlers, doomsday prophets, and pseudo-Marxist loud-
mouths.”