Denmark set a new world record in 2015 for harnessing wind energy, with a whopping 42 percent of the country's electricity coming from wind power during that year.
According to Energinet, the Danish electricity operator, that's the highest number ever achieved by a country and beats Denmark's own record from 2014, during which it generated 39 percent of its energy using wind turbines.
"Hopefully, Denmark can serve as an example to other countries that it is possible to have both ambitious green policies with a high proportion of wind energy and other renewables in the energy supply, and still have a high security of supply and competitive prices on electricity," said Lars Christian Lilleholt, Denmark's minister for energy, in a statement.
Of course, it's important to note that a big factor in the achievement is that, according to Energinet, 2015 was a very windy year — windier than most. Despite this, wind power has powered more of Denmark every year since 2008, and it aims to produce half of its electricity by 2020.
That plan is well on track to becoming a reality — in fact, this past July, wind farms in Denmark produced more energy than the nation needed, offering a huge 140 percent of the expected output. Not only that, but if two wind farms that weren't operational during 2015 had indeed been operational, wind power would have accounted for as much as 43.5 percent of the nation's energy.
Via: Gizmodo
