Denmark steps up in green power generation

COPENHAGEN—While the three biggest importers of Russian natural gas on the European continent continue to be Germany, Italy and France, there is an outlier, one that achieved net exporter status for the energy feedstock more than 20 years ago.

And until two years ago, Denmark has been able to lean on its domestic reserves of the important commodity.

But since the Tyre Field in the Danish portion of the North Sea has undergone renovations, Denmark has had to turn back to Russian supply of the fossil fuel via a pipeline through Germany.

And with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the natural gas market subject to sanctions and sabotage, that is not optimal, according to Anders Dyrelund, senior market manager for sustainable energy planning for Ramboll, the Dutch-based architecture, engineering and consulting company founded in 1945.

"The effect of the war essentially has been to speed up the conversion to replace gas with biogas for heating as soon as possible," Dyrelund said. "Other than that, Denmark has been remarkably independent with its energy needs."

Since its inception in 1984, the Tyre Field has filled a major portion of Denmark's gas needs, and it continues to be an important part of the country's income through exports. Estimates put the reserves in the field at anywhere between five and 10 years from now.

Now the country that splits the North Sea and Baltic Sea is at the forefront of innovation in the EU once again, taking a holistic, all-of-the-above approach to the energy sector—an energy sector that soon will be driven in major Danish cities by building and construction, water and wastewater, solid waste, industry and agriculture—among other key feedstock markets.

"In Copenhagen, we do not waste heat ... it is immediately used for biogas," Dyrelund said.

Dyrelund was integral in the implementation of the municipally-based district heating and cooling system in Copenhagen in 1990, via combined heat and power (CHP) generation systems.

"So there is no pressure on landfills as the (solid waste or wet biomass) material is recycled," he told Rubber News March 10.

As the EU struggles to wean itself off of Russian gas, Denmark's leadership on greener power generation, one municipality at a time, has drawn acclaim.

"Forty-three years of energy policy and energy planning based on cost has given Denmark a leading role," Dyrelund said. "The green gas produced in Denmark will meet the Danish gas demand in 2030-2034."

Natural gas prices continue to abate across the EU, however gas remains "too expensive"—and tenuous on the supply side, given the geopolitical climate in Europe—to be the primary heat source for the country.

Denmark has planned steady investments in offshore and onshore wind power, which is expected to become the primary technology for power generation by 2026.

"The government's pledge to step up its renewable development program by increasing the number of solar photovoltaic and onshore wind plants by 2030 will secure Denmark's electricity supply in the long term as 97 percent of its electricity generation by 2035 will be renewable power," according to the Ramboll "Hessen" presentation, authored by Dyrelund and published in January 2022.

In the short term, Denmark will look to import gas from Russia and its European connections (due to the intermittent availability of wind energy).

"Interconnectivity with neighboring countries, especially within the Nordic pool, is important within the scheme of supply security," according to the Ramboll study. "Sweden and Norway are rich in hydropower, while Denmark is a leader in wind and is also making rapid advances in solar power.

"Exchanges within these countries, therefore, help to enhance supply security."

Denmark has backed up its wind energy aspirations with a tried-and-true heat and power generation system.

The district heating and cooling system (DHC) was implemented in 1979, on the heels of Denmark's 1976 declaration of support for Israel—and the country's subsequent break from OPEC later that same year.

"OPEC did not like that Denmark said it supported Israel, and (Denmark) vowed at that time to develop an energy policy that would never again be dependent upon imported natural gas," he said.

"In 2000, we became a net exporter of oil and gas. All of it was from domestic sources."

The success of the DHC is due to the local democratic ownership of the power grids, the plants and storage units, according to Dyrelund.

"Consumers themselves own the energy sector," Dyrelund said. "The municipality acts on behalf of the consumer, which makes the entire system very efficient. It is not a system that is governed by investors from afar."

"Denmark has been a benchmark for the EU in this regard."

According to the U.S. EPA, CHP is an incredibly efficient technology that produces electricity and thermal energy using different fuels.

Dyrelund said the Greater Copenhagen area became 100-percent CHP in 1990, and the plan through 2030 is to assist other urban areas with such systems, where applicable, as a back-up to wind.

With on-site power production, losses are minimized. Heat that otherwise would be wasted is applied to facilities in the grid in the form of steam, hot water and even chilled water.

CHP systems can be installed at an individual facility or as a district-wide microgrid, providing power and thermal energy to multiple end-users.

Denmark is pushing the technology for district-wide use, coupling the CHP heat and electricity system with district heat and cooling (DHC) infrastructure.

"Growing cities are an opportunity to plan and implement smart, clean sustainable solutions, in particular with energy," Dyrelund said. "Utilizing surplus heat and efficient ambient energy is in general the most cost-effective solution for the society, the city and the consumers, taking into account the cost of CO2."