Sweden! - International Federation of Agricultural Journalists

SOLUTIONS FOR A GREEN FUTURE 39
Renewable energy
Sweden leads the way in Europe
Sweden is powered by a larger percentage of renewable
energy than the average in
Europe. In 2008, more than 44 percent of Sweden’s energy
was from renewable sources. The following are examples of
renewable energy sources: water power, wind power, forest
fuels, biogas and sun cells.
Wind power is growing
Wind power for the production of electricity
was first introduced in Sweden in the
1980s. During the 21st century, wind turbines
have become common in some areas
in Sweden, but there are far fewer than,
for example, in Denmark and Germany. In
2009, there were approximately 1,400 wind
turbines in Sweden and they represented 2
percent of the energy produced within the
country.
In Denmark, wind power makes up over
20 percent of energy production. Farmers
lease out land to the companies that want
to set up wind turbines and receive a payment
of around 50,000-100,000 SEK per
turbine per year. It is often profitable for
farmers to lease out their land for wind 4