Replacement of wind turbines

Rapid development of wind turbine technology led to a need for replacement of turbines from previous generations of technology. In 2001 a grant scheme for the replacement of old and badly placed wind turbines was introduced. An owner who replaced an old small turbine was granted an additional surcharge of DKK 0.17/kWh for 12 000 full-load hours for a new wind turbine connected to the grid between April 2001 and January 2004. The surcharge was given for a proportion of the capacity of the new turbine corresponding to two to three-times the installed capacity of the decommissioned turbine. Furthermore, the regulation set out that, pursuant of the Electricity Supply Act, the wind turbines would not be guaranteed fixed feed-in tariffs or price surcharges after ten years of operation.