How wind power grew in Denmark
Poul la Cour built one of the first electricity-producing wind turbines in 1891, and by 1918 Denmark had 120 grid-connected turbines supplying 3% of its electricity. After the 1973 oil crisis the state funded research and subsidised turbines. In 1979 Vestas, then a maker of kitchen appliances and milk coolers, began series production of a three-blade design. Vindeby, the world's first offshore wind farm, opened near Lolland in 1991 with 11 turbines of 450 kW.
Ownership was spread widely from the start. At their peak, cooperatives counted over 100,000 member families. Vestas turbines alone made up about 2.7 GW of active capacity in the national register in 2026. Offshore building now runs through state tenders. In August 2026 Vattenfall won two sites, Nordsøen Midt and Hesselø, with both farms due by 2032.
The register held about 8.5 GW of wind in September 2026, with 4.8 GW onshore and 3.7 GW offshore. Wind output fell 7.2% in 2025, to about 19 TWh. Wind still made about 60% of Denmark's own electricity production in 2025. A political agreement of June 2022 aims to quadruple electricity output from solar and onshore wind together by 2030.
Sources: European Investment Bank · Ørsted · Ørsted · Danish Energy Agency · Danish Energy Agency · Space Daily · Ritzau · Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities
Where Denmark's power comes from, 2025
| Source | Share of electricity |
|---|---|
| Wind | 58.7% |
| Bioenergy | 22.1% |
| Solar | 13.3% |
| Other fossil fuels | 5.0% |
| Gas | 0.4% |
| Coal | 0.4% |
| Hydro | 0.1% |
Wind farms in Denmark
We track 177 wind farms in Denmark: 5.4 GW operating and 29.2 GW under construction, consented or planned, with 31.3 GW of it offshore. Each one's owners, turbines and status are in the Wind app.
Electricity data: Ember yearly electricity data (CC BY 4.0). Wind farms: national registers and Global Energy Monitor; see data sources.
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