Denmark, Climate Summit Host, Tops Table of Fighting Climate Change With Wind Power

Brussels (ots/PRNewswire) - In the run-up to the crucial
climate change talks in Copenhagen, the European Wind Energy
Association (EWEA) has published a league table showing which EU
countries are best at exploiting CO2-cutting wind energy.

Top of the table is Denmark, with the highest amount of wind
energy capacity per square kilometre of national territory. Germany
comes a close second and the Netherlands third. Spain, in fourth
place, has half the wind power density of Germany. Portugal and
Ireland are above the EU average wind power density.

Italy is not far below average, while France and the UK each have
less than half of the EU's average density of wind power capacity.
Romania, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus are floundering at the bottom of
the league with next to zero wind power generation per km2.

The density of wind power per km is the best means of measuring
and comparing the extent to which different countries exploit their
wind power potential. The future of wind power in Denmark looks
bright as, according to an August 2009 survey carried out by an
independent market research institute, 91% of Danes support the
further development of wind power in their country.

If the eight geographically largest Member States had the same
density of wind power capacity per km2 as Denmark, they would produce
enough wind power to meet 19% of total EU-27 electricity demand and
avoid 362 million tonnes of CO2 emissions - equivalent to meeting
more than 30% of the EU's 2020 climate target.

"Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands are European leaders in
fighting climate change with wind-powered electricity" said Christian
Kjaer, Chief Executive of EWEA. "The figures released today also
reveal the huge potential for wind power growth in most countries.
Laggards in wind energy - including France, the UK, Sweden, Finland
and Eastern European countries - can easily play catch-up," Kjaer
added.

"The future of wind power in Europe lies in offshore as well as
onshore wind power, and some of the pioneer countries will add wind
power capacity just by repowering existing plants - replacing old
smaller turbines with bigger, more powerful ones which are now
available on the market" Kjaer said.

The report containing the just-published league table - entitled
"Pure Power" and published today - also outlines EWEA's predictions
for growth in wind power by 2020. The industry calculates that it can
meet up to 16.6% of EU electricity demand by 2020, or 14.1% in a
lower, business-as-usual scenario.

The eight geographically largest countries in the EU include
Sweden and Finland as well as France, Germany, Spain, Italy, UK and
Poland.

League table extracted from the Pure Power report: MW of wind
energy capacity per 1,000 km2 (End 2008)

Denmark: 73.8
Germany: 67
Netherlands: 53.6
Spain: 33.2
Portugal: 31
Ireland: 14.3
EU-27: 14
Luxembourg: 13.5
Belgium: 12.6
Italy: 12.4
Austria: 11.9
Greece: 7.5
France: 6.2
UK: 5.9
Sweden: 2.3
Czech Republic: 1.9
Estonia: 1.7
Poland: 1.5
Bulgaria: 1.4
Hungary: 1.4
Lithuania: 0.8
Finland: 0.4
Latvia: 0.4
Slovakia: 0.1
Romania: 0
Slovenia: 0
Malta: 0
Cyprus: 0

To download the full report visit
http://www.ewea.org/index.php?id=178

Media Invitation to COP 15

Journalists, photographers and camera crew attending the
international climate change negotiations in Copenhagen are invited
to follow the wind industry activities at COP15.

Boat trip to Middelgrunden Offshore Wind farm*
Sunday 13 December, 10:30-12:30

Two hour trip to wind farm of 20 turbines, 100m tall at blade tip
height, in curved line 180m apart stretching for 3.4km. Trip will
include 15 minute briefing from high level wind industry
representatives on the wind farm being visited, the contribution wind
power makes to reducing CO2 emissions, and the negotiations from a
wind industry perspective. Great photo/film opportunity of offshore
wind farm, plus possibility for interviews with leading industry
representatives.

* Registration obligatory - ap@gwec.net

ots Originaltext: European Wind Energy Association (EWEA)
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
For all information about wind energy, the wind industry activities
at the Copenhagen climate negotiations, or for interviews with wind
industry representatives please contact: Angelika Pullen,
Communications Director, Global Wind Energy Council,
angelika.pullen@gwec.net, tel +32-2-502-55-02, mobile +32-473-947-966
; Julian Scola, Communications Director, European Wind Energy
Association, js@ewea.org, tel +32-2-546-1981, mobile +32-486-117-394
; For more information visit the EWEA website ( http://www.ewea.org/
) or contact Paolo Berrino, EWEA, paolo.berrino@ewea.org,
+32-2-400-10-55