Friday, April 25, 2008

Denmark goes balls out with wind power

The article.

"Denmark has a problem with their wind turbines. Apparently its generating too much power from wind.

Right now, they are generating about 20% of their total electricity from wind power and on windy days that percentage can double which has placed some strain on the electricity grid due to extreme fluctuations. In western Denmark, the price of electricity can sometimes drop to 0 on a windy day which leaves utilities trying to find ways to offload the excess power. What a “good” problem to have!

To come to the rescue, the Danish utility company Dong Energy has an ingenious plan to build a nationwide system to charge electric cars with the surplus wind power. They are partnering with the start-up company, Project Better Place and plan to build the infrastructure to support the countrywide electric car system by 2010. Charging spot and battery-exchange services would be located across the country.

The Danish government plans to raise its share of electricity from renewable powers to 30 percent by 2025. In addition, Denmark is looking to built stronger connections with nearby countries like Norway, Sweden and Germany to sell excess “cheap” electricity on windy days. "

They make it seem so simple.

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