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Denmark is a global leader in wind energy, with Danish company Vestas standing as one of the world’s largest producers of wind turbines. Wind power accounts for around 58% of Denmark’s electricity—the highest share among OECD countries, according to Ember.
But how did Denmark rise to this level of dominance? The roots of the country's wind power success can be traced back to history, specifically to Poul la Cour, the man who built Denmark's first wind turbine to generate electricity in 1891.
In this episode, Jytte Thorndahl, former curator at the Danish Museum of Energy, delves into the life and groundbreaking contributions of Poul la Cour to Denmark's wind energy development.
At the time la Cour was working, Denmark’s first power stations were being built, but they did not reach rural areas. Additionally, Denmark had to import fossil fuels. La Cour wanted the rural population to benefit from electricity. “The plan was to ease farm labor, make it more efficient, and provide light for reading and working during the long, dark winter evenings,” according to the Poul la Cour Museum.
La Cour’s pioneering work laid the foundation for Denmark’s modern wind industry. Unlike Charles Brush, whom we discussed in our previous episode, la Cour didn’t just innovate—he shared his knowledge.
In 1903, he founded the Danish Wind Electricity Society, which trained rural electricians in three-month courses in Askov. These courses covered not only how to install wind turbines but also subjects like accounting, physics, and geometry.
By the early 1900s, Denmark’s wind power industry was taking off. By 1908, the year la Cour passed away, Danish company Lykkegaard had built seventy-two wind turbines based on his designs, supplying power to rural Denmark. By 1910, more than 100 wind turbines were operating across Denmark.
SOURCES: Poul la Cour Museet; The Wind Power Story, Brandon Owens.
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