The Danish Energy Agency has formally announced that it will build an artificial island in the North Sea. The North Sea will be 50 miles off the cost of the Jutland Peninsula.

The green energy hub will be expected to supply 10GW when it is complete, which is roughly the energy that is needed by 10 million households across Europe for energy.

Denmark's wind-generating island

The artificial island will measure around 120,000 square meters and it will receive, store and it will transmit power from the nearby wind farms back to the shore. According to Reuters, the project is most likely to cost around $34 billion and it is expected to start operating by 2033.

Danish officials added that eventually, the island will house a green fuel plant which can then be sent to Denmark. That is likely to be an extension of the Danish plan to use surplus wind power in order to run an electrolyzer and to extract Hydrogen from seawater without any CO2 emissions.

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Denmark, which is the largest oil producers of the European Union, is also expected to use the island in order to help renew its own energy industry, according to Forbes.

Denmark has previously stated that it will stop extracting fossil fuels by 2050, and has stopped offering tenders to companies for future exploration.

The country has been far ahead of the curve when it comes to producing renewable energy from wind, mostly due to its geography.

Not only is the country located conveniently in the North Sea, but the water levels around its coastline are shallow so it makes it easier and cheaper to create off-shore turbines.

Danish lawmakers have removed numerous legal barriers that would slow down the construction of turbines. In 2015, the strong winds enabled Denmark to generate 140% of its total energy demand, it then sold on to other countries.

In 2019, Denmark has 6,128MW of generation capacity, making it possible to supply half of its total energy demand.

Renewable energy

Denmark is just one of the numerous countries that are leaning in on renewable energy. There are numerous countries that are powering towards a low-carbon future by using wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy sources, according to Climate Council.

Another member of the European Union, Sweden, went on a mission in 2015 by stating that they will eliminate fossil fuels from electricity generation by 2040. The country then increased its investment in wind, solar, smart grids, energy storage and clean transport underscoring the need for both private and public institutions to help capitalize these projects. 

When it comes to renewable energy, Germany is the leader. In the first half of 2018, the country produced enough electricity to power every household in the country for at least a year. Germany has also set an ambitious target to get at least 65% of their electricity from renewables by year 2030.

In the United States, a new solar energy system was installed every two minutes and 30 seconds back in 2014, making the country rank at number 5 on the installed solar PV capacity global rankings. The United States also has the second-highest installed wind energy capacity in the whole world after China.

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Written by Sieeka Khan