Wind power to make up half of Danish energy use in 2020

Wind power to make up half of Danish energy use by 2020 & the country aims to be 100% free of fossil fuels by 2050. - The country aims to be 100 percent free of fossil fuels in 2050, relying instead on wind power, biomass and biogas, the government said on its website where it presented its new "Our Energy" programme. The left-wing social democratic government, which came to power in September, has largely overtaken the previous centre-right administration's energy programme "but setting the goals higher", the ministry said. The previous government's plan called for an increase in the use of wind power from 20 percent today to 42 percent in 2020. The new government plans to invest 5.6 billion kronor (750 millio n euros, $996 million) in its energy programme, compared to 3.6 billion earmarked by its predecessor. The investments will be financed by the public and companies through higher energy prices, encouraging Danes to better isolate their homes and buildings to save energy. The government expects households to reduce their average energy consumption by eight to 10 percent by 2020.