Denmark already gets more than 93% of its electricity from low-carbon sources—a major clean-electricity achievement. Over the 12 months from October 2025 through September 2026, wind supplied about 59% of electricity, biofuels about 20%, and solar almost 15%. Fossil fuels supplied less than 7%, including roughly 3% from gas and 2% from coal. Denmark is also a significant net exporter of electricity, helping neighboring regions lower their emissions. Its next challenge is to electrify transport, heating, and industry, which will require much more clean electricity.

Is Electricity Growing in Denmark?

The picture of electricity growth is mixed: low-carbon generation has reached a new high, but electricity consumption per person remains far below its historical peak. The latest 2026 consumption figure is about 6,000 kWh per person, compared with almost 10,200 kWh in the record year of 1996—a decline of about 4,100 kWh, or 41%. This comparison does not establish whether consumption grew in the latest year, but it highlights the considerable distance from the historical record. Encouragingly, low-carbon electricity generation reached about 5,600 kWh per person, around 600 kWh above the previous record set in 2024. That clean-electricity growth is worth celebrating, while broader electricity growth will be needed to support electrification.

Suggestions

Denmark can build on its success by expanding wind and solar, both of which already generate substantial amounts of low-carbon electricity. Additional offshore and onshore wind projects, alongside rooftop and utility-scale solar, would increase clean electricity supplies for electric vehicles, heat pumps, and industry. Stronger grids, storage, and flexible electricity demand would help make fuller use of that generation. Denmark should also consider nuclear electricity as a complementary low-carbon option for meeting growing future demand, including from electrification and AI.

History

Denmark’s low-carbon electricity history shows repeated gains, led by wind. In the late 1990s and 2000s, wind generation increased by roughly 1 TWh in each of the listed years: 1998, 2000, 2004, and 2007. During the 2010s, wind posted several annual gains of around 1–2 TWh, with a 1.4 TWh setback in 2016 followed by a 2 TWh recovery in 2017 and a 2.3 TWh increase in 2019. Biofuel generation also increased in 2010 and 2017. In the 2020s, wind grew by 3 TWh in 2022 and 1.2 TWh in 2024, while solar added 1.2 TWh in 2023. Wind’s disappointing 1.5 TWh decline in 2025 was followed by a strong 2.3 TWh increase in 2026. Biofuels recorded additional gains of 2 TWh in 2021 and 1.1 TWh in 2026.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.