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Denmark’s electricity has never been greener

Christian Wenande
December 25th, 2020


This article is more than 4 years old.

The share of sustainable energy coming out of Danish sockets reached its highest ever point in 2020

Denmark’s ‘bulbs’ are 80 percent sustainable (photo: Pixabay)

Never before has electricity in Denmark been as sustainable as it was in 2020.

According to new figures from advocacy group Dansk Energi (DE), 80 percent of Danish electricity consumption was from renewable sources this year.

That’s not only better than last year’s 76 percent, but the highest share in history.

It also means that the CO2 imprint in Denmark electricity is at an all-time low of 127 grams/KWh – a 34 percent drop compared to five years ago.

“Electricity is a bona fide climate hero. No one can doubt that anymore. And in a few short years it will be 100 percent green,” said Kristine Grunnet, a DE spokesperson.

“But that requires the politicians to kickstart the six gigawatt of offshore wind energy that they agreed to with the climate deal in June.”

READ ALSO: Future energy island has immense green potential

Hoping for Power-to-X strategy
It was particularly growth in wind and solar energy that has transformed electricity in Denmark into a more sustainable product.

2020 was the first time that wind turbines and solar cells produced electricity that covered at least half of Denmark’s energy needs.

17 terawatt-hours (TWh) was generated this year, the equivalent of the electricity consumption of 4.25 million homes. 

Grunnet said that Denmark pursuing new pastures, such as Power-to-X technology, would only further improve the situation.

“We hope for a political strategy in regards to Power-to-X technology in 2021,” she said.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”