Denmark electricity prices, Digi Mart USA News (Denmark): Electricity prices in Denmark have climbed sharply again, with the price rising above seven kroner per kilowatt-hour between 5 and 6 p.m. on Monday, the highest level of the year so far.
The increase follows a 2026 in which the average Danish household has reportedly saved several hundred kroner each month on its electricity bill after the Folketing lowered the electricity tax to the EU minimum rate at the start of the year. Those savings are now being eroded as higher prices return to household budgets.
Geopolitical unrest is the broader cause of the rise, but the immediate driver is a weather phenomenon known as ‘dunkelflaute,’ which translates directly as ‘dark stillness.’ It is typical of this time of year, when there is little sunlight and wind to produce cheap, green energy.
Although the weather cannot be changed, Jacob Østergaard, a professor of electricity and energy systems at DTU, says consumers can still help make power cheaper during periods of calm wind and weak sunshine. His first recommendation is to consider when electricity is switched on and how essential that use is.
Electricity prices are largely a matter of supply and demand, Østergaard said. He advises consumers to avoid, as far as possible, consumption that can be postponed between 5 p.m.
and 9 p.m., when many people draw power, such as charging an electric car at a later time when power is cheaper.
Consumers can save money that way, he said, but it also benefits everyone, because price peaks become smaller when consumption is moved away from the most heavily loaded hours.
Østergaard also stresses the point that Denmark and Europe should invest even more in renewable energy. A larger supply would push prices down, and there are also strong security arguments for reducing dependence on distant regions.
He notes that with greater investment in renewables in the region, Denmark and Europe could become more independent of gas, coal and oil from the Middle East, the United States and Russia.
Power production must also keep pace with the electrification of society, a theme that was on the agenda at the COP31 climate summit, where countries intend to increase their use of electricity. As more people drive electric cars, production must grow accordingly, Østergaard said, or the transition cannot be achieved.
When the sun shines and the wind blows, large amounts of energy are produced, and that energy must be stored better so it can be used when weather conditions are unfavorable. Batteries have become far cheaper than before, making it attractive to install a battery when power is cheap and discharge it when power is expensive.
Such batteries could be large installations paired with solar or wind plants, or smaller units owned by private households that store power for the hours of the day when prices are high. Commercial companies could also install large batteries at their energy facilities.
However, capacity problems in the grid have reduced the business incentive to invest in batteries since Energinet closed the grid to new connections in March.
