Since [2017], the price of emitting CO2 [in the EU] has increased more than four times, from around 5 euro per ton CO2 to more than 20 euro per ton. An increasing group of countries, including Denmark, has agreed to phase out coal before 2030, which will provide further impetus for green electricity deployment.
Sluggish authorities block deployment
The green transition will affect the landscape as areas are required to install wind turbines, Pvs, and new grid infrastructure. Onshore wind, grid-expansion, and increasingly Pvs are facing challenges. In the period preceding the municipal election in 2017, we saw repeating examples of wind projects being cancelled despite complying with all rules and regulations.
Cancellation decisions were made by nervous municipalities, often late in a planning process, and were based on unconvincing arguments. In 2017, projects with a capacity of around 35 MW were taken off the table. This is not only a challenge in Denmark. The same trend can be seen in Germany. Continuing business as usual, only nearly half of the 4GW renewable energy which is needed to reach the national objectives of 65% RES electricity in Germany will be realised.