While many countries state that they wish to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels, only one country has really made some headway and that country is Denmark. Not only has this Scandinavian nation stated that they are committed to reducing their dependency on fossil fuels (e.g. oil, gas or coal), they are making concrete steps towards that goal.
According to their official website, Denmark has announced the most comprehensive renewable energy goal on Earth. Denmark plans to stop using all fossil fuels for transportation and general energy production by the year 2050.
Thanks chiefly to a decades long investment in wind power, the country generates a full 40 percent of its energy from renewable energy sources. And by 2020, they are right on track to hit 50 percent of its energy will be obtained by renewable sources.
There are some challenges, though. With much of its energy coming from wind power, the concept of energy storage becomes important. During windless spells, where does the power come from? Where is it stored? Well, currently it isn’t but this may be about to change with the advent of inexpensive utility-level battery storage, such as Tesla’s Power Wall and other alternatives.
Another not so obvious issue is that the many cheaper renewable energy sources now operating in Denmark have already started to economically affect the nation’s fossil fuel energy plants. Basically, most of the renewable sources are cheaper to maintain than the fossil fuel plants and, right now, both types are necessary to have.
Luckily for Denmark, the country has good neighbors, though. Currently, there is a robust linkage with neighboring Sweden and their nuclear infrastructure, and Norway with its considerable hydroelectric power. This helps stabilize the energy needs of the whole region.
Lest we get too critical about Denmark’s ambitious energy plan, let’s give them kudos for confronting the challenges that any country would face during an attempt to phase out fossil fuels. They have achieved a great deal already and are working hard to continue towards full energy independence.
Article Courtesy of: McLoughlin Fiat
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