Denmark

Introduction

Denmark continues to be a global leader in variable renewable integration with wind and solar meeting 58% of the national electricity demand. But 2025 was also the year where only 84.8 MW wind energy was installed onshore.

Policy targets and ambitions remain high, while decisive steps are taken to address the challenges of auction design, insufficient grid capacity and permitting.

RD&D priorities continue to reflect wind energy being a dominant part of the energy system, focusing on appropriate test facilities, reliable and cost-effective wind turbine technologies, system integration and Power-to-X (PtX).

Market Development

Targets and Policy

The national target for renewable energy continues to be 58% by 2030, which will imply more than 100% renewable electricity. Further, the Danish government set the target to be climate neutral by 2050 as adopted by the 2020 Climate Act, subsequently further raising ambitions and targeting to be climate-neutral by 2045 and achieving 110% reduction of emissions by 2050 compared to 1990.

Progress and Operational Details

Wind and solar energy production was relatively high in 2025 with 23,569 GWh or 58% of the national electricity demand, of which wind energy accounts for 47.2%. [1] The figure below shows the development of wind and solar and their share in the total electricity demand 2015-2025.

Wind energy in 2025. Denmark installed only 84.876 MW onshore and nothing offshore.

Bornholm Energy Island. An important step towards developing offshore wind in the Baltic Sea was made in January 2025 when an agreement between Denmark and Germany was made to develop the Bornholm Energy Island offshore wind energy project. [2] The project - the first of its kind - aims to link 3 GW of electricity generated offshore to the Danish and German national grids. It is backed by a EUR 645 million grant from the EU's Connecting Europe Facility. The project is overseen by German and Danish TSOs 50Hertz and Energinet, and it has contracted Siemens Energy AG to supply converter systems and other technical components.

Installation of first monopile at Thor. In April 2025, the first monopile was installed at Denmark's largest 1.1 GW offshore wind farm Thor. The monopiles were shipped from the heavy-lift terminal in the Netherlands, to the construction site off the west coast of Jutland. The Dajin Offshore and EEW SPC are contracted to supply the 36 TP-less monopiles each, together with secondary structures, for the 72-turbine project. Secondary steel structures for the foundations are being handled from the Danish Port of Thyborøn, which is the offshore construction base for Thor and home port for the project's service vessels and the control centre for managing marine logistics and traffic throughout the offshore construction phase. [3]

Offshore wind tenders offer 2.8 GW under capability-based CfD model. Following no offshore bids in the first phase of the ~10 GW tender in December 2024, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities revised the framework for the upcoming offshore wind tenders, affecting three major sites: North Sea Mid, North Sea South and Hesselø. In November 2025, the Danish Energy Agency launched tenders for these three offshore wind sites offering a combined minimum capacity of 2.8 GW. These projects will operate under a two-sided capability-based Contract for Difference (CfD) model, with a payment cap of DKK 55.2 billion (€7.39 billion). North Sea Mid and North Sea South each require at least 1 GW, while Hesselø must deliver a minimum of 800 MW. Completion deadlines range from 2032 to 2034, with bid submissions due in spring 2026 for North Sea Mid and Hesselø and autumn 2028 for North Sea South. Key tender conditions include blade recyclability, social safeguards, and nature-inclusive design.

Increasing grid challenges. The state-owned TSO Energinet introduced a new tool to handle the excessive demand to replace the first-come-first-served grid connection system with a maturity-based model from 2026 to speed up connections for solar, wind, battery and large electricity users. Projects will only enter the screening queue if they can prove key prerequisites such as land acquisition options and timelines for local planning and environmental permits. Eligible schemes will then be ranked by how efficiently they use existing grid capacity and their progress in municipal planning. [4]

RD&D Activities

National RD&D Priorities

The Danish RD&D funding landscape relevant to wind energy consists of The Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme (EUDP), Green Labs Denmark, both administered by the Danish Energy Agency. Since 2007, EUDP has supported innovative green projects with DKK 7.3 billion (EUR 0.98 billion), typically with 50% co-finance. Wind energy projects have received 18% of the total. [5]

Other public funding entities supporting wind energy-related projects are Innovation Fund Denmark and the Independent Research Council supports wind energy-related research. Further, private foundations and the industry itself finance wind energy RD&D.

New RD&D projects. In 2025, EUDP supported 5 new wind power projects with DKK 51 million (EUR 6.82 million) or 8% of the total annual budget of DKK 628 million (EUR 84.01 million).

The Independent Research Council granted DKK 7.2 million (EUR 0.96 million) to the project "Resilient Renewable Power Generation: Hybrid Power Plants with Distributed Control (TRANSITION).

Danish Alliance for Renewables. The national strategic platform for research, innovation, test and demonstration for future energy systems highlights four recommendations for a climate-neutral energy system: 1. Industrial competitiveness; 2. Sector integration and electrification; 3. Resilience and safety; 4. Circularity and sustainability. [6]

Wind Turbine Test Centers. In December 2021, a broad majority in Parliament agreed to further develop the Danish test centers for prototype wind turbines and establish more test pads for large wind turbines (up to 450 meter). During 2022-2023 further investigations were undertaken to identify suitable sites for such a third test center and this site turned out to be an extension of Østerild Test Center. In February 2024, the government together with other parties decided that further environmental and habitat assessment will be conducted over the next 1.5-2 years. [7]

National Research Initiatives and Results

Below is a small extract of the many projects that have received funding from EUDP and the Independent Research Council. The first has been successfully completed and the other projects have started following a proper assessment based on expected impact and commercial results, well-organized work plan, strong project management and competent consortium. The IRC project is based on the applicant's scientific merits.

AQUADA-GO project runs from 2022 to March 2026 with a total budget of DKK 17.8 million (EUR 2.38 million) and is supported by EUDP. The partners (Quali Drone, the Technical University of Denmark, RWE, Statkraft, TotalEnergies and Energy Cluster Denmark) have developed a drone technology for automated, contact-free, real-time blade damage detection, while the turbine is spinning. Inspections that are done without stopping the turbine's normal operation can help save turbine downtime. Now, for the first time ever, the operational concept has been successfully demonstrated offshore. [8]

RESHORE – autonomous drone system for offshore inspection. (2026-2028). EUDP has granted DKK 14.23 million (EUR 1.9 million) to the project led by Reblade Aps, a start-up that together with RWE, Technos, AAU, Vattenfall and TI will further develop an existing drone solution for onshore to offshore inspection. [9]

SwiftRoot – Improved innovative root solution for large wind turbine blades. (2025-2027) the project received DKK 15.07 million (EUR 2.02) from EUDP. SwiftRoot will improve the load-carrying capacity of large wind turbine blade roots by developing preformed root inserts with embedded bushings. These inserts are infused with the blade's load-bearing laminates and manufactured with a high degree of automation, reducing service needs, repairs, and the risk of catastrophic blade failures. [10]

Quiet Rotor. (2026-2028). Vestas and DTU Wind have received DKK 12.69 million (EUR 1.7 million) from EUDP and will in the Quiet Rotor project enable the design of Vestas wind turbine rotors with reduced energy loss during noise curtailed operation relative to existing designs. More specifically, improved blade add-on solutions (e.g. Serrations, Vortex Generators, Winglets) will be developed and be demonstrated and tested on a Vestas Enventus V162 turbine at Østerild test station. [11]

Resilient Renewable Power Generation: Hybrid Power Plants with Distributed Control (TRANSITION). (2025-2027) The Independent Research Council granted DKK 7.2 million (EUR 0.96 million) to the project 'Resilient Renewable Power Generation: Hybrid Power Plants with Distributed Control (TRANSITION)', which is led by Associate Professor Daniela Anca Hansen at DTU Wind. This project focuses on developing advanced control strategies for hybrid power plants to ensure their seamless integration into future power grids.

Test Facilities and Demonstration Projects

LORC opened the new Main Bearing Test Facility in 2025. This facility is supported by GLDK with DKK 79.6 million (EUR 10.65 million) out of a total budget of DKK 227 million (EUR 30.37 million). It is designed to simulate extreme loads that main bearing arrangements of wind turbines are exposed to and carry out advanced testing and validation of bearing arrangements for future turbine generations, ensuring durability, efficiency, and safety in increasingly challenging environments. [12]

Collaborative Research

The Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme (EUDP) supports Danish companies, universities, and research institutions directly or via international cooperation schemes when participating in international projects.

In 2025, EUDP supported six IEA Wind TCP Tasks with a total of DKK 6.13 million (Task 56 OC7, Task 61 VRE-hydrogen, Task 62 Social science, Task 25/63 RE Integration, Task 47 Turbina phase II, Task 51 Forecasting). Denmark is member of all Tasks except for Task 59 WREN and Task 60 Cyclewind.

Impact of Wind Energy

Environmental Impact

CO₂ emissions. The CO₂ emissions from the electricity and district heating sector have decreased dramatically from being the most CO₂-emitting sector in 1990 to only emitting 3.2 Mio T in 2023 or 8% of the total emissions. The emissions are expected to decrease to app. 0.3 million tons CO₂e in 2030. The phase out of coal power and the transition to green gas in 2029 will primarily contribute to the reduction in emissions. [13]

Proposals for Environmental Assessment Monitoring Programme of offshore wind farms. The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) is actively involved in the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of offshore wind farms in Danish waters. The SEA process involves several steps, including preliminary site investigations, environmental impact assessments (EIA), and public consultations.

When the conditions for the 6 GW offshore wind were politically agreed in 2023, it was also agreed to request concession owners to systematically monitor the environmental impacts of offshore wind energy. This request has been put forward to new tenders as well. In order to develop a consistent and forward looking monitoring tool, the Danish Energy Agency has developed proposals for monitoring programmes of a number of central environmental parameters. The aim is to create solid knowledge about offshore wind's impact on the environment during the lifetime of the farm and also use the knowledge for future strategic environmental impact assessment of offshore wind. [14]

Economic Benefits and Industry Development

Job creation. The Danish energy sector employs more than 100,000 employes, of which 47% work in the wind industry. More than 70% of work places are located in Jutland and Funes. The competences are broad and 35% have a vocational education. [15]

The export of wind energy technology and services increased remarkably with 15.4 billion DKK (EUR 2.02 billion) from 42.7 billion DKK (EUR 5.71 billion) in 2023 to 58.1 billion DKK (EUR 7.77 billion) in 2024. This is an increase of 36 %. [16]

The wind energy industry employs ~33,000 full-time equivalent jobs. Various studies have shown that Denmark needs to add an average of 45,000 full-time equivalent jobs each year from 2023 to 2030 to achieve its ambitious green transition targets and policies. However, due to the delay in the built out of offshore wind energy in recent years, the industry struggles and CS Wind Offshore (previously Blatt Industries) had to lay off 220 people at Lindo. [17]

Next Term

In the beginning of 2026, Energinet stopped temporarily for three months for new grid connections and prolonged the administration time for projects in the screening and maturation phase to get an overview. The capacity was nearly full and a total of 60 GW in new consumption was in the pipeline. The war in Ukraine had accelerated green projects, but also caused delay in delivery of components. Further, the national planning authorities used much longer time to approve projects. At the same time, the National Auditors published their report about the expansion of the power grid. They found that the management of the expansion was highly critical, delayed and thereby expected to be more expensive than planned. [18]

This is not just a problem for Denmark. European power networks are confronted with new and significant challenges such as insufficient grid capacity to meet growing connection requests both on the demand and supply side, delays in project implementation and security threats.

The new government coming into power June 2026 has taken several steps to address the problem: an emergency plan with four groups of different priority access, an ambitious infrastructure plan for 2035, a general optimization of the system with smart consumption, smart batteries other products and finally possible co-locations of generation and consumption.

In January 2026, Denmark together with eight other North Sea nations and over 100 offshore wind companies signed a pact at the North Sea Summit to unlock €1 trillion of investment in European offshore wind in the 2030s and foster cross-border projects. Governments agreed to remove obstacles to the use of two-sided CfD as the standard auction design. This should support the pledge to enable 150 GW offshore wind to be deployed in the 2030s. The companies committed to reduce cost of offshore wind by 30% by 2040 compared to 2025 and invest €9.5 billion in value-chain in the 2030s including ports, vessel and manufacturing facilities. [19]

References

1. Energistyrelsen (2025). Foreløbig energistatistik 2025. Månedlig, kvartalsvis og foreløbig energistatistik
2. Energy Highways: Germany and Denmark agree on joint development of the Bornholm Energy Island offshore wind project
3. First Monopile Installed at Denmark's Largest Offshore Wind Farm | Offshore Wind
4. Energinet (2026). New prioritisation model for connection to Energinet's electricity grid
5. Danish Energy Agency (2026). EUDP & GLDK Årsberetning 2025. Teknologiske Løsninger til en grønnere fremtid. EUDP Årsberetning 2025.pdf
6. Danish Alliance for Renewables (2024). Anbefalinger på vej mod et klimaneutralt energisystem | Danish Alliance for Renewables (DAFRE)
7. Plan- og Landdistriktsstyrelsen, accessed 8 July 2026. Mulig udvidelse og tilpasning Østerild Testcenter - Plan- og Landdistriktsstyrelsen
8. Danish Drone Breakthrough: First Autonomous Inspection of Operational Offshore Wind Turbines Demonstrated
9. EUDP (2026). Autonomt dronesystem til reparation af vindmøllevinger offshore (RESHORE). EUDP Årsberetning 2025.pdf
10. Danish Energy Agency (2026). SwiftRoot. SwiftRoot – Improved innovative root solution for large wind turbine blades | Energiteknologi
11. Danish Energy Agency (2026). Quiet Rotor | Energiteknologi
12. Green Power Denmark (2023). Mere arbejdskraft til den grønne omstilling | Green Power Denmark
13. Klima- og Energiministeriet (2025). Klimastatus og fremskrivning 2025. 24 El- og fjernvarmesektoren 08-25.pdf
14. Danish Energy Agency, accessed 10 May 2026. Vindmøllers miljøpåvirkning
15. Green Power Denmark (2026). Beskæftigelsen i energisektoren. Beskæftigelsen i energisektoren | Green Power Denmark
16. Green Power Denmark (2025). Eksport af energiteknologi og service 2024. Eksport af energiteknologi og -service 2024
17. BT, accessed 10 May 2026. Vindmøllefabrikant må fyre over 200 ansatte efter forsinkede projekter | Erhverv | Nyheder | B.T.
18. Statsrevisorerne (2026). Marts 2026 – 12/2025 Rigsrevisionens beretning afgivet til Folketinget med Statsrevisorernes bemærkninger. Energinets udbygning af elnettet. Beretning om Energinets udbygning af elnettet | Rigsrevisionen
19. WindEurope, accessed 10 May 2026. North Sea Summit 'Investment Pact' to mobilise €1tn in offshore wind investments for Europe - WindEurope