The country of Denmark has long produced oil and gas in the North Sea. But Denmark has pledged to phase that out by 2050.

“Instead, we are raising our ambitions when it comes to offshore wind,” says Dan Jørgensen, Denmark’s minister of climate, energy, and utilities.

He says that over the next decade, his country plans to build a massive wind energy hub on an artificial island in the North Sea.

It will collect energy from hundreds of offshore wind turbines and deliver it to European customers. In its first phase, the hub is expected to produce enough electricity to power 3 million households – and ultimately, enough for 10 million.

“So it’s a huge project,” Jørgensen says. “It’s probably the biggest infrastructure project in the history of my country.”

He says abundant clean energy can help advance other green technologies. Denmark’s long-term goal is to use wind power to create liquid fuel for use in planes and ships.

“That technology exists today, but it’s very expensive and it’s not possible to do it at the scale that would be necessary,” Jørgensen says. “So that’s one of the reasons why we are doing this.”

So long-term, the project could create winds of change for green transportation, too.

Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media