The potential of offshore wind farms along the American coast is great, yet currently only five wind turbines with a total capacity of 30 MW have been installed outside of Rhode Island on America’s east coast. The Americans want to change this and the Governor of New York Cuomo has announced that an additional 2.4 GW of wind power will be installed outside the federal state’s coastline before 2030. American authorities are therefore currently busy planning the extensive expansion of wind farms and gathering inspiration in order to create the proper framework conditions for competitive electricity prices in wind power.

Since Denmark has great expertise when it comes to regulations and framework conditions for wind power, the Danish Energy Agency is in New York this week to meet with American authorities and representatives from the American wind industry interested in learning more about Danish authorities’ experiences with planning and supply of wind power.

The event in New York
Together with the Danish Trade Council and Danish Cleantech Hub, the Danish Energy Agency has organised an event in New York to share Danish experiences and discuss how experiences from Denmark may inspire the realisation of America’s great wind power potential. This concerns the Danish supply model for wind farms in particular. The model comprises of a very streamlined authorities processing and a close dialogue with the industry. It has led to all-time low electricity prices from offshore wind farms in Denmark. The latest example is on Kriegers Flak where an electricity price of DKK 0.372 per kWh attracted international attention.

Danish expertise in offshore wind
As the first country is the world, Denmark installed wind turbines offshore in 1991, over 25 years ago, and since then companies from the Danish wind industry have driven the development towards more cost-efficient and effective wind farms. As a result, interest in learning about Danish experiences in planning, instalment and maintenance of wind farms as well as experiences in dismantling and decommissioning of wind turbines is great. The Danish wind industry’s detailed insights in the overall lifespan of wind farms is thus of great value to the Americans. Following the idea of a close dialogue between authorities, industry and technical experts in the Danish model for offshore wind, a number of Danish companies are also participated in the event in New York to share their insights.

Last week America’s Foreign Minister Ryan Zinke’s Counselor to the Secretary for Energy Policy, Vincent DeVito visited Denmark to meet with employees from the Danish Energy Agency and the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate and learn more about Danish regulations and framework conditions for wind power. During his visit, he also made his way around Funen and Jutland to get a closer look at the value chain for manufacturing and instalment of wind turbines.

By strengthening the cooperation within offshore wind in Denmark and America, the potential for Danish companies in America grows. This paves the way for further investments in renewable energy in America as well as more Danish jobs and trade across both sides of the Atlantic. The American Department of Energy has herald investments for several hundred billion dollars in offshore wind turbines up until 2050.

Facts
- For a number of years, onshore wind energy has been the fastest growing energy source in America, primarily due to a 66 per cent drop in the market price for onshore wind since 2009.
- Despite this fast-growing market for onshore wind turbines, there is currently only a smaller offshore wind farm of 30 MW installed in American waters. The Department of Energy has estimated that 35 per cent of America’s electricity will be supplied by wind power by 2050. Out of this, one fifth will come from offshore wind power, which could require investments of up to USD 400 billion.
- In 2016, Denmark’s export in energy technology to America was DKK 4.4 billion. America is thus the fourth biggest market for Danish export of energy technology.
- The collaboration in offshore wind between Denmark and America is a part of the “Export strategy for energy technology” launched by the Danish Minister of Energy, Utilities and Climate, Lars Chr. Lilleholt and a number of other ministers in the spring of 2017.
- Danish Cleantech Hub is a public-private partnership in New York that displays and provides information about Danish skill sets within green technology. Read more here.
- The Danish Embassy and the Trade Council’s Offshore Wind Energy Advisory offers a shared platform for the American market to Danish offshore wind companies wanting to gain a foothold in America and establish local partnerships with American companies and wind developers. Read more here.
- Read more about the Danish Energy Agency here.

- Source: Danish Energy Agency