www.venstre.dk (web site of the Danish Liberal party):

17th September 2009:

Wind to compete on future energy market

Support for wind turbines should gradually be reduced and replaced by more money for the devel-opment of hydrogen, biogas and solar energy, the liberal spokesman on climate and energy, Lars Christian Lilleholt, says.

Since 1980 wind turbines have received support, and new estimates show that in the period since 2005 alone DKK 5.1 billion [£621 million] has been paid to the wind turbine owners. That cost has been borne by businesses and private consumers through their electricity bill.

It seems to have become a political fashion to say that there should be more support for wind. However, we have consistently aimed to reduce the support for onshore and offshore wind farms. Let us look at the support for onshore wind farms first, Lars Christian Lilleholt today says to Jyllands-Posten.

At the same time he emphasizes that there is no intention to change the existing agreements on support for wind turbines. Therefore he cannot promise that the electricity bills will be reduced, but on the other hand he will seek agreements which can put a ceiling on further costs to the consumer.

Phasing out support for wind turbines means that we will increase the support for other green energy technologies like solar, biogas, hydrogen and the development of biomass, Lars Christian Lilleholt says.

He points out that more support for other renewable energy sources is necessary in order to make the field of green energy more market oriented, compared with other types of energy.

For example businesses and private consumers have been slow to adopt photovoltaic plants today because they are too expensive. It will require more support to introduce solar cells in the market.

It is the government's target that we should do completely without fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal. But we cannot go on with wind power only, Lars Christian Lilleholt says.

Last spring the Liberal party led the way for a new energy agreement which will run until the end of 2011.