Breakthrough for heating houses with wind energy

Wind turbines will keep thousands of Danish homes. This is the consequence of the Danish finance bill for 2006, which the Danish government has agreed upon with right wing-party Dansk Folkeparti.

“The new agreement is important in order to create a more efficient market for wind power, where the Danes will benefit from the turbines production of electricity.” says Claus Bøjle Mølle, consultant in the Danish Wind Industry Association, and he continues “But a realisation of the potential requires an approval by the parties behind the energy agreement of an exemption of the PSO-contribute.”

Today the tax on changing electricity into heat is too high to be profitable. The conventional power stations are at the same time forced to make heat along with electricity. The production of electricity is hereby forced up in periods with cold, windy weather, where the turbines are rotation at full power.

The consequences are that Denmark sell power too cheep to Norway and Germany in periods with low prices on power, just to buy it back when the prices go up. This is one of the problems that the Danish Wind Industry Association pointed out on a meeting with the energy sector, officials and politicians at the Danish District Heating Association the 9th February 2005 and in the rapport ‘Wind as heat supplier”

”The agreement in the Budget is a big step in the right direction, but we still have to work for better integration of wind power in the Danish energy system. We have to use new technology like more the efficient heat pumps and we must work to develop the long term use of wind power to fuel our cars” concludes Claus Bøjle Møller.

By Lizette Westh Jensen, 10. Movember 2005