Wind farm, Denmark – Yann Arthus-Bertrand Photography

Since the end of 2000, this wind farm has been in the Øresund straits (they can be 9.8 to16.4 feet deep; 3 to 5 meters) that separate Denmark from Sweden 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) to the east of Copenhagen’s harbor. So far, it is one of Denmark’s largest off shore wind farms. Its twenty aero generators with a 249 feet (76 meters) diameter rotor perched 210 feet (64 meters) above the water, form a 21.1 miles (3.4 kilometers) arc. With 40 megawatt of power, this farm produces 89 million kilowatt-hours a year (about 3 percent of the city’s electricity consumption). In 2025, Denmark hopes to satisfy 50 percent of its energy needs using wind energy, compared to 21 percent at the moment. Even if renewable energy only accounted 13, 3 % of primary electricity used and 19, 5% of energy produced in the world in 2009, its environmental advantages have generated considerable interest. Thanks to technical progress which has considerably reduced the noise problems of wind turbines, they are more appealing. And with 200.000 MW of installed capacity and about an average annual increase of almost 29% over the past ten years, the wind power sector is taking off.