why has uptake of windpower expanded successfully in certain countries, i.e germany, denmark and usa?

Answer 1

I am in Germany and I have to say they look after the environment a lot better than we do in the UK.

The German Government supported people when people who owned them - sold the energy onto companies.

Germany, by far the world's largest wind power market, is showing the way. Last year it accounted for roughly half of all wind turbines built worldwide.

Having decided to phase out nuclear power, the German Government is promoting wind energy like never before.

Though wind power now accounts for just 3.5% of Germany's energy consumption, it is expected to grow rapidly.

Turbine construction has been encouraged by a German law guaranteeing a minimum price for energy produced by wind power.

Answer 2

denmarks windmills are apart of the country's identity and they are the world leaders in wind turbines....
I was watching a documentry the wind turbine industry is growing so fast there in 20 years everyone will be working in it..


They are lot cheaper at the moment and give up to 24 hour supply of energy unlike solar panels that only give 4 hours a day of energy....
A 1000 dollar 300-500 watt turbine is enough to power a house if you live in windy conditions...
Otherwise you could be looking at 10s of thousands for the same in solar panels....
Wind power does not take up room in the sense that farmers are selling their land and still letting their cattle graze under it as usual...
It also depends on what the governments policy is on renewable energies and it is Americas goal to shift from foreign dependance on oil one way or another....

A very large amount of wind is in the upper atmospheres which thousands times more power than all the nuclear power plants on earth combined, this is why protype floating turbines have been designed such as the kite turbine and another turbine that turns and looks like an old zepplin
that is particuarly useful to even deploy in emergency situations.

Answer 3

Places that have taken up windpower are taking it up for their reputation. For example, the USA is the country that uses up the most energy. People are also beginning to ask for these options, and so these countries have done so.

Answer 4

Wind turbines are actually far more beneficial in the payback for energy invested in to producing them. One study has concluded that the net energy gain (energy return on investment or EROI) to be from 17 to 39 times the energy invested through manufacture, installation, operation and decommissioning for a wind turbine. A similar Danish study suggested the payback ratio could be as high as 80 times, resulting in a wind turbine paying off its energy debt within 3 months. In comparison coal power plants, and nuclear power plants offer energy payback ratios of 11 and 16 times respectively, this does not take into account the use of fossil fuels otherwise this would lead to a negative EROI with fossil fuel plants.

The cost per installed KWh installed has fallen to 1/5 of the cost of installation in the 1980's and the cost per KWh is almost on par with that of a coal fired power station.

Energy Saver
http://howtosaveenergy.blogspot.com

Answer 5

I think it's because those countries don't have our 'Nanny State' thinking. Wind turbines are beautiful and so much more aesthetically pleasing than any other form of power. We used to have lovely old windmills and no-one objected to them. What on earth is wrong with these people who object to Wind power. I would welcome a Wind Power farm in my back garden. Even if they are a bit noisy (which I doubt) it's still natural noise, wind in sails, what could be better.

Answer 6

Because it's windy there. It take lots of wind to make them work sufficiently. And the foreigners don't have the eco-freaks screaming about the 'ruined views' of giant wind powered generators. They really don't produce constant reliable supplies of electricity in most American states (not windy enough).

Answer 7

Because of vast available land that people aren't concerned about degrading the appearance of the landscape. Smaller congested countries simply don't have that necessary requirement.

Answer 8

Government subsidies for manufacture and purchase of wind turbines, and overriding objections by neighbors.

Answer 9

Some folks are simply ahead of the curve on these issues.

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Answer 10

I have been to all these countries and i know they all have lots of wind, i don't know where you live but that might be it.