CO2 emissions of countries with the most wind energy

Denmark, Spain, and Germany have the most wind energy capacity as a proportion of total electricity generation.

Denmark's wind plant was built from 1996 to 2003. Spain has built steadily since 2000, and Germany since 1998.

According to data from the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy, in the International Energy Annual 2006, with data updated in December 2008 (http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iealf/tableh1co2.xls):

• Denmark's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions decreased 14.9% from 1996 to 2003. The trend of Denmark's emissions is hard to follow, however, because year-to-year energy imports vary a great deal. CO2 emissions were 57.41 million metric tons in 1990, 72.07 in 1996, 75.07 in 1997, 53.36 in 2002, 62.02 in 2003, 51.93 in 2005 (a 16.3% decrease since 2003 with no new wind capacity), and 59.13 in 2006.


• Spain's CO2 emissions increased 14.0% from 2000 to 2006, 57.3% since 1990.


• Germany's CO2 emissions decreased only 1.4% from 1998 to 2006. From 1990 to 1998 (before large-scale wind installation), they decreased 11.9%.

The belief that wind energy is an effective means of reducing carbon emissions is not well supported by these figures.

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