A Free-Market Energy Blog

Archive

Posts from December 0

Peeling Away the Onion of Denmark Wind (Part IV – CO2 Emissions)

By Kent Hawkins -- October 29, 2010

[Editor’s note: Parts I-III provided insight into the complexities involved in any analysis of the Danish electricity system, showing (1) how unique the Denmark situation is, (2) that the details of electricity exports and imports must be understood for each of Denmark’s trading partners, (3) the likelihood that most of Denmark’s wind production is exported, and (4) an indication that the upper limit for manageable wind penetration is in the mid-single digits as a percent of domestic demand. Part IV now looks at the impact on CO2 emissions.]

Figure 1 is a simple look at CO2 emissions and wind electricity production, which explains the claims made by wind proponents based on a superficial examination of the information. Figure 1 shows what the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) reports based on an “adjustment” of actual CO2 emissions.…

Peeling Away the Onion of Denmark Wind (Part III – Wind Electricity Used in Denmark)

By Kent Hawkins -- October 28, 2010

[Editor’s note: Parts I and II set the stage for the development of some conclusions about how much wind electricity Denmark exports, which will be provided in this post. The impact of wind on CO2 emissions  is addressed in Part IV]

To further reduce the total amount of information to a more manageable level, the following is a look at this from the point of view of Denmark’s electricity import/export flows for the most recent “normal” year (2004), dry year, (2006), and a wet year, (2007), these conditions being the main driver of exports. This is shown graphically in Figures 1-3, starting with a normal year. In these charts numbers may not exactly balance due to rounding. Note in particular the net export levels, which are typical for each type of year.…

Peeling Away the Onion of Denmark Wind (Part II – Details of Exports and Imports)

By Kent Hawkins -- October 27, 2010

[Editor’s note: Part I explained the unique character of the Denmark electricity situation as background to a more detailed look at Danish exports/imports of electricity and CO2 emissions. This post and Part III will focus on exports/imports to show the larger role that wind is having in exports. Part IV will then address CO2 emissions, providing the conclusion to this series.]

There is a range of views on the amount of Denmark wind-generated electricity that is exported. Any that rely on annual net exports should be very suspect. Table 1 provides a summary of notable analyses, all of which at least use hourly net exports. All must be read for any comprehensive understanding.

Table 1 – Summary of Notable Analyses of the Amount of Wind-Generated Electricity Exported by Denmark.

Peeling Away the Onion of Denmark Wind (Part I)

By Kent Hawkins -- October 26, 2010