National Wind Watch: Wind Energy News » Danish wind output down over summer

Wind turbines in Denmark produced 1,657GWh in the two summer months, according to transmission system operator (TSO) Energinet – down from 2,167GWh in the same period last year.

But output from coal, gas, solar PV and biomass combined was still lower than wind production in June and July, according to the Danish Wind Energyy Association (DWEA).

The lack of Danish wind production was replaced by imports from Germany, Sweden and Norway, it added.

Christian Kjær, director of the DWEA, said: “The electricity market in northern Europe has generally handled the challenges of summer weather.

“The gains of a more integrated European market across national borders have never been better clarified than this summer.”

The DWEA also claimed the potential economic detriment of lower production to wind farm owners and operators was offset by the average price of wind energy in the electricity market being 73% higher than last year.

Spot prices in western Denmark increased from an average of about DKK 200/MWh (€26.82/MWh) in June and July 2017 to DKK 340/MWh a year later, an increase of 70% year-on-year.

In eastern Denmark, spot prices rose from about DKK 210/MWh to DKK 370/MWh, up 76% year-on-year.

The fall in Danish wind output came despite a small increase in installed capacity.

There was 5,228MW installed in the country as of 1 June, 2017, according to Windpower Intelligence, the research and data division of Windpower Monthly, and 5,249MW by the end of July of that year.

This total had increased to 5,493MW by 1 June, 2018, and did not change by the end of July 2018.

The Danish production figures were released in the same week that wind and solar performance maps, produced by weather monitoring firm Vaisala, suggested wind resources dropped about 20% below the long-term average in parts of Europe in July.

According to figures from WindEurope, wind’s average share of daily electricity demand in June and July 2017 was 10%. However, in June and July 2018 this fell to 8.7%.