Denmark gets 20 percent of its electricity from the wind, Minnesota only two percent

Denmark gets 20 percent of its electricity from the wind, Minnesota only two percent

Nov 25 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Tom Cherveny West Central Tribune, Willmar, Minn.

Wind power produces nearly 20 percent of the electricity in Denmark, as compared to roughly two percent in Minnesota.

Yet without a doubt, the winds blow with far more gusto in western Minnesota than they do in Denmark, according to Dr. Arne Kildegaard, associate professor of economics and management, University of Minnesota, Morris.

Why is Denmark so far ahead?

"It's really a matter of policy as opposed to resources that has made that possible,'' Kildegaard told members of the University of Minnesota's West Central Partnership at its annual meeting Thursday evening in Montevideo.

Kildegaard was part of a panel speaking about the "green'' economic opportunities the Partnership is working to promote in west central Minnesota.

Policy decisions to promote the development of wind power in Denmark have made the country a world leader in the industry, according to Kildegaard. Wind power technology has become one of the country's leading exports, he noted.

Public policy in Denmark provides for a feed-in tariff. Essentially, it sets a posted price that will be paid for electricity fed to the distribution grid. Anyone able to produce power and make a profit at that price has the incentive to do so, he noted.

Minnesota's Legislature adopted policy favoring "a clear and fair tariff" with similar goals in mind. But three years of successive rulings by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission have made "sausage'' of Minnesota's law, according to Kildegaard.

The PUC rulings took away the price transparency that was intended. The PUC requires that the prices paid for electricity by utilities be kept confidential. Anyone selling power to the utilities must sign a confidentiality agreement, he said.

Kildegaard said that legislation to use the Danish model of a feed-in tariff in Minnesota was introduced in the last session, but did not go anywhere. He expects the legislation to be re-introduced.

Kildegaard has authored papers on the advantages of the Danish model, as well as on the benefits found in local ownership of wind generation. A study he completed in Big Stone County found that a local economy reaps benefits three to five times greater when wind resources are owned by local investors rather than outside companies and owners.

Promoting the development of the region's wind resources is one of the goals of the West Central Partnership. It is also working to support the emerging grape growing industry in the region, promote a local foods economy, and expand tourism opportunities. Speakers joining Kildegaard on the panel included Chris Hettig of Renville County, representing Tatanka Bluffs; Audrey Arner of rural Montevideo, representing the grape growers association of the Upper Minnesota River Valley; and Chuck Weibel of Milan, of Garden Goddess Produce.

The West Central Partnership serves the counties of Big Stone, Chippewa, Douglas, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, and Yellow Medicine.