Runes Parking lot

The background
Historically, wind power capacity has been developed on land. But it has become increasingly difficult to obtain the required permits for turbine sites, and therefore alternatives are being considered. The interest has been particularly directed towards coastal areas with water depths of between 5 and 15 m and the possibility of locating the turbines so far away from the coast that they are visually neutral.
Wind power is a non-polluting source of energy, and it contributes significantly to minimization of CO2 emissions. Moreover, offshore wind turbines provide an added environmental benefit: the output from offshore installations is up to 50% higher than for comparable turbines on land.

In 1998, the Danish Ministry of the Environment and Energy required the electricity suppliers to construct five demonstration wind farms with a combined output of 750 MW. In 2002 the newly-elected Danish government reduced the Plan of Action for wind energy to include only two demonstration wind farms, those of Horns Rev and Rødsand of 160 MW and 158 MW respectively.

Elsam and Eltra, the independent transmission system operator in Jutland and on Funen, were ordered to build the offshore demonstration wind farm at Horns Rev in the North Sea. Elsam is the owner and is responsible for the operation of the wind farm. Eltra is responsible for the connection of the wind farm to the national onshore grid.