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Denmark Leads the EU and World in Renewable Energy

The race is on to reduce the need for fossil fuels.

By KJ MullinsPublished 7 years ago 20 min read
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Climate change has been changing the way the European Union looks at how its States are consuming energy. The planet is telling us that due to our dependency on fossil fuels, deforestation, livestock-farming, and other human activities, it is suffering. We are now seeing suffering water resources, rising sea levels, and weather phenomena. This global effect has called for mass action in order to reduce greenhouse gases and our dependence on fossil fuels. In order to provide the population with electricity, renewable sources have to be put in place at a rapid pace. With goals of lessening the use of dwindling sources by 2030, the EU has invested infrastructure changes, resources and research to increasing the use of renewable energy.

The European Union has been dealing with finding ways to power their nations with renewable sources instead of relying on fossil fuels and nuclear sources for over two decades. In 2009, subsidies to fossil energy from public sources amounted to EUR 274 billion. On average, EU Member States spend EUR 548 to subsidise energy for each European, money that is not part of the energy bill. This does not even take into account the support of nuclear energy according to Counter-Balance.org. The goal to be completely sustainable is fast approaching. Some of the countries within the EU are close to fuelling their country with renewable energy sources 100% of the time.

“I think renewable energy really has the primary role in mitigating climate change. If we are going to reduce fossil fuel emissions, which is the key here, then renewables have to take their place; energy is not going to stop being a necessary commodity for people,” stated Rob Fowler, Gold Standard Foundation.

The overall goal of being able to power the EU by renewable sources is daunting. Europe is the second largest global consumer of all types of energy. Goals such as the Paris Agreement are rapidly approaching with much work still to be achieved. Without a strong push, renewable sources in Europe will not be the main source of electric power for its residents and businesses leaving citizens to rely on importing their energy consuming more fossil fuels or having to turn to nuclear power.

As the EU works to reduce greenhouse gases a clear leader is leading the pack. The influence of alternative energy sources on the Denmark shows how a strong government and citizen-led push for change has been working for years. The rest of Europe has been playing catch-up when it comes to renewable energy for years. That catch-up has impacted even the most green nations making them wait for their neighbours to have infrastructure in place in order to share excess power.

Looking at the influence of alternative energy sources on the Denmark gives hope to the rest of the European Union by showing that renewable energy is viable and cost effective. Currently, Denmark imports hydroelectric power from Norway and solar energy from Germany while producing 42% of its own electricity from wind turbines.

As the need for energy grows European countries are tasked with generating better power sources, using energy more efficiently, reducing energy waste and having that energy be naturally renewable. It's a daunting task.

In July WindEurope reported that 4.8 GW of onshore wind capacity was installed in the first six months of 2017, with the majority "heavily concentrated" in Germany, the U.K., and France. In the offshore sector, 1.3 GW was installed.

The first half of the year saw 8.3 billion euros ($9.72 billion) spent on new asset financing, with 5.4 billion euros in onshore and 2.9 billion euros in offshore. WindEurope said that the latter figure was down from a record high of 14 billion euros in the first half of 2016.

One of the quickest ways to achieve goals currently in place for the European Union is through hydroelectricity. Water is as natural as it gets. The use of water to power large scale regions of land is in place elsewhere in the world. Hydroelectricity accounts for 25.7% of Canada's total energy consumption and roughly 20% of China's total electricity generation. Hydroelectricity accounts for about one sixth of the world's electric power.

Almost 85% of Europe's hydroelectric dams are located in just six countries; Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, and Sweden. These large structures are difficult to increase because of the overall geography of the land. The future for hydroelectricity is in smaller facilities that have alternate means of harnessing water's power without impacting the ecosystem.

Barbara Hendricks, Federal Environment Minister of Germany said, “Overall it is a question of gradually tackling a key challenge: power generation in Germany needs to be almost carbon-free by 2050 in order to achieve our national and European climate targets. Replacing fossil power generation with renewable energies makes the biggest contribution to this.”

Hydroelectricity is one of the most effective and safest ways to produce mass amounts of energy while producing little to no waste. Because hydroelectricity can be quickly produced it makes it the perfect combination to have in play with other forms of renewable energy like wind turbines and solar energy. During periods when the sun is not shining or wind is still hydroelectricity plants can increase their production levels so that electricity is not disturbed for consumers on its grid lines.

As long as there is a good water supply then electric energy will not run out or be disturbed. Once the infrastructure is in place the cost to run a hydro plant is very small and creates almost no waste or pollution. The problem is that the initial cost of putting dams in place hydroelectricity is very expensive, takes time, and requires massive amounts of land of which Europe is short of.

The biggest challenge for hydroelectricity is finding space for dams. The current model of large hydro plants with massive dams simply will not work in the European's long term goals. In order to increase the production of hydroelectricity with the speed that is required to achieve renewable energy goals smaller power stations that obtain energy for electricity production from running river water are required. There is much work in the EU underway to increase power production by these means. Currently, there are almost 200,000 people working in the European Small Hydraulic Association expanding the hydropower landscape.

Some of the jobs in the hydropower field consist of finding ways to ensure that nature is not impacted when a power station is created.

The main drawback to hydroelectricity is that dams can damage the environment. There is a greater risk of flooding when dams are present. The EU is working to lessen this with careful planning. Fish supplies are another area that has concerns when it comes to hydropower causing delays on the building process. In order to ensure that fish populations are not displaced additional infrastructure must be put in place. As ESHA build more plants they have set estimates that installed small hydro capacity could reach 16,000 MW by 2020.

The EU is working in Western Europe to retrofit existing hydro plants with modern equipment that increases the production of electricity while not being harmful to the environment. These retrogrades are generally taking place in the newest nations to the Union where infrastructure has not been properly maintained in the past.

The most promising growth for in the field of European hydropower is in pumped storage. This is a type of hydroelectric energy storage used by electric power systems for load balancing. The method stores energy in the form of gravitational potential energy of water pumped from a lower elevation reservoir to a higher elevation. Off-peak low-cost surplus water is used to run the pumps and during high-peak periods the stored water is released through turbines to produce electricity. Revenue is increased by peak demand when the electricity rates are the highest offsetting the losses of the pumping process.

This method in combination with other renewable sources serves as a balance in power production and can regulate the transmission network. As many as ten pumped-storage facilities are under construction, including 178-MW Avce in Slovenia, 540-MW Kopswerk 2 in Austria, 480-MW Limberg 2 in Austria, and 141-MW Nestil in Switzerland. Several more potential projects are being investigated to increase future production of electricity.

Europe is looking towards new technology in concerns with the ocean is gaining popularity as well. With the vast amount of water offshore, the possibilities are endless for future renewable energy as long as the infrastructure does not damage ocean and sea ecosystem.

Norway has completely embraced hydroelectricity. In the northern nation, almost all power in homes and business comes from electricity produced by movement of water. In addition, Norway uses the most efficient, environment-friendly hydroelectric power plants so that their ecosystem has not greatly impacted thus reducing their greenhouse gas emissions greatly.

The cost of electricity in Norway varies a great deal and is determined by rainfall and seasonal changes. During winter months the cost is higher than average but is still lower than other nations because the energy source does not have to be imported. Using this model is one that shows that for the public using renewably sourced energy makes the most sense.

While federal governments play a major role in reducing greenhouse gases by passing laws and creating funding, local governments are the key when it comes to decreasing the use and increasing the production of renewable energies. Without careful planning and educating citizens about the benefits of renewable energy, advancements are stopped before they can begin. The overall efforts will not be enough for the EU without every branch of government is on board with switching to renewable energy instead of fossil fuels and nuclear energy models.

Katja Awiti, Deputy Director General, Climate Department, Ministry of Climate and Environment Sweden said, “Thanks to national policies, Sweden has achieved a 23% emission reduction since 1990 and our GDP has risen 60% during that same period. This proves that renewables make economic sense. Our dependency on fossil fuel has been reduced by half, and we are now one of the most renewable energy-dependent economies.”

Changing the way companies consume energy is paramount for renewable energy production to increase to the levels needed to achieve goals by 2030. Large corporations have the capacity to influence at the local or national level. When there are rewards such as a reduction of business taxes when energy draining equipment is replaced and upgraded to work with renewable sources companies make the changes necessary. When these enterprises embrace renewable energy they set a benchmark for other businesses and their own employees to follow thus creating socio-political acceptance for the cities that they are located.

When companies embrace renewal energy, there are further benefits for the public at large. With the reduction in taxes, these corporations must hire people knowledgeable about energy sources that fit within their unique industry. This causes a ripple effect throughout the community, increasing job growth in other industry. For instance, the full transition to 100% renewable energy in Denmark is expected to generate at least 30– 40,000 new jobs in a country of 5.5 million people.

As the European leader in renewable energy, Denmark has grown production by 241% from 1990 to 2015. The largest growth has taken place with wind power production. In 2015 production was 50.9 PJ, an increase of 8.1% in just one year. That year wind power production accounted for 41.8% of domestic electricity supply, compared with 38.8% in 2014 and 1.9% in 1990.

The influence of alternative energy sources on the Denmark started long before the rest of Europe. In 1979 the government began building up their wind energy program after the oil crisis in the mid-1970s. The government covered 30% of investment costs and guaranteed loads for large turbine exporters. They created research centres to lead to cutting edge technologies on how to harness the wind. Today wind turbines can be seen everywhere in Denmark.

Denmark has never stopped their commitment to wind energy. Some nations, including the United States of America, gave renewable credits to business and residents in the past, Those programs were short-term and fizzled out. In the end, those programs didn't make an impact on society. In fact, because the costs of becoming 'green' were so much higher it created a negative attitude to implicating renewable energy sources. Denmark, on the other hand, has broadened their credit programs to more renewable energy ideals thus creating a nation that thinks green almost exclusively.

Since 2013 the installation of oil-fired boilers and natural gas boilers in all new buildings has been banned in Denmark. As of last year, the installation of new oil-fired boilers in existing buildings in areas where district heating or natural gas is used has also been banned. The government has made changing oil-fired boilers and natural gas boilers in existing buildings to renewable energy in existing buildings easier with $42 million in funding. These type of programs are embraced readily because the Danes know that the government will stand behind their word. Without that type of trust between government and corporations, the huge positive influence of alternative energy sources on Denmark may not be where they are today. Because of the strides in renewable energy, Denmark's 2015 consumption of fossil fuels was less than 4%. Use of coal energy was at 24.5%. There are plans in place to greatly reduce the use of coal in the future.

As Denmark increases their production of renewable energy they are leading in greening their country in other ways. One of the current campaigns deals with transit. In Denmark, the use of fossil fuels for car transit has been decreasing with long-term planning in place. Subsidies of a total of DKK 70 million have been earmarked for recharging stations for electric cars as well as infrastructure for hydrogen as well as infrastructure for gas in heavy transport. Denmark has increased the tax on new cars by 180% and waives the fee to those who purchase electric cars.

Denmark's biggest hurdle has been waiting for other nations to check up on their energy model.

With the growing climate crisis, Europe is finally catching up to Denmark. The nation's closest neighbours are the ones getting the most benefit from Denmark's years of experience.

The Guardian quoted Denmark's minister for energy, utilities, and climate, Lars Christian Lilleholt on his nation's 2014 record breaking energy production, “Hopefully, Denmark can serve as an example to other countries that it is possible to have both ambitious green policies with a high proportion of wind energy and other renewables in the energy supply, and still have a high security of supply and competitive prices on electricity.”

In June 2017 Denmark and Germany reached an agreement that will improve electricity trade between the nations. In the past, grid congestion in Northern Germany hindered their trade of hydroelectricity which Denmark needs to maintain their power when the wind isn't blowing. As soon as the relevant infrastructure development of interconnectors between Western Denmark and Germany has been put in place the countries will be in use at full capacity. Until this takes place the cross-border electricity trade capacity available for the market shall be increased in a stepwise approach. Both nations benefit from this agreement resulting in the most favourable outcome.

Lilleholt said in a government statement about the agreement, “Denmark supports the intention of building an integrated European power market to allow electricity to be traded freely across borders, based on competition and the best possible use of resources. This agreement between Denmark and Germany is an important step forward in solving the challenges that have impacted the interconnector between Germany and Denmark”.

The greatest concern for wind power capacity and production is wind conditions which are unpredictable. With the viable wind patterns in Denmark, this was a valid concern for wind-power generation varying across the country in the early days. The western side of Denmark has many more wind turbines than any other area resulting in the highest production of energy.

In 2015, the ten municipalities with the highest wind power production accounted for 48.3% of total wind power for the nation. Currently, the trend is towards fewer but larger turbines. Surprisingly there were 455 fewer turbines in Denmark in 2015 than in 2000 but these turbines have increased the overall energy levels. Bigger in this case definitely means better.

The Danish island of Samso is a shining example of how renewable energy works. Samso is the first island in the world to be powered entirely by renewable sources. In the early 1990s, the island depended solely on imported oil and coal for energy. Today the island's energy comes totally from the sun and wind. The main source of power comes from a series of 21 wind turbines; 11 onshore and 10 offshore. These wind turbines produce 100% of the island's electricity even on still days.

The island also uses residential solar panels and biomass fuels. Almost all home heating for the 3,724 residents heating on the island comes from locally-grown straw.

Samso produces so much more energy than it consumes they have been sending excess to mainland Denmark. The profit from this transfer goes to improve their energy infrastructure. On the rare day that there is no wind, it imports energy from other local sources.

To achieve this accomplishment took money. It cost $80 million over a period of 15 years to put the needed infrastructure in place. One of the earliest hurdles was convincing local farmers to show their farmland with the turbines. Residents had to be convinced to heat their homes using solar panels or biomass. Today, being green is the only way of life in Samso.

An Energy Academy has opened in Ballen, with a visitor education centre. The academy is currently working towards making Samso 100% fossil fuel free. Its director Soren Hermansen was a leader in the early efforts to create a totally sustainable island.

Even with their great strides in renewable energy efficiency improvements must increase in Denmark if they are to increase their share of renewable energy in the EU. One of the ways that the nation is working to do this is by converting from coal to biomass at their large-scale power plants. The Heating Supply Act will help the smaller open-field plants that struggle with high heating costs will be able to produce more cheap heating because of biomass. To achieve these goals, Denmark has committed $35 million to promoting new renewable technologies.

As the production of renewable energy has increased so has the consumption of waste for the production of electricity and district heating. Compared with 1990, waste consumption for energy purposes increased by 156% in 2015. This signifies that waste accounts for a large proportion of renewable energy consumption. In 2015 the total consumption of renewable energy was 206 PJ, of which 137.5 PJ was used in the production of electricity and district heating. Wind power, wood pellets, and renewable waste were predominant in the production of electricity and district heating.

As renewable energy production increases in Denmark, there has been a steady reduction of CO2 emissions.

One of the most pressing matters for the EU is the loss of energy during transmission. In 2010 only 71.5% of energy produced within the EU was used by consumers. This loss of energy is most damaging when it occurs in large power plants rather than a large amount of smaller power plants. The large plants are generally using imported fossil fuels powering 76% of its consumption. These fuels are not under the control of the EU forcing dependency on outside sources. As more renewable sourced power plants are erected the overall loss costs will be reduced.

When renewable sources are the main source of energy in a community, the people are the ultimate winners. Not only are they creating a cleaner environment for their family, they have much more control over their own energy supply which reduces their own personal energy costs. For instance, in Germany over half of the renewable sources are produced and owned by their own people locally instead of big corporations. This approach brings a positive financial outcome not only in reducing the consumption of fossil fuels but by creating local jobs. As the area depends more on locally resourced energy the overall cost of living decreases. With more money, the economy of the community allows for more services for their residents. The trickle down of renewable energy has no end.

There are barriers to using a renewable energy model but for the most part, those barriers can be overcome with careful planning and creative thinking. Limited infrastructure and lack of political support are two of the biggest hurdles facing the nations in the UE that are falling short of the goals set in place.

There are some drawbacks to renewable sources. If wood or corn is used instead of coal, it takes away from locally grown food for the population. Solar and wind power plants require space that can also reduce farm land. Large dams for hydroelectricity can change the ecosystem of rivers affecting the amount of fresh water sources and killing fish populations. Forests can be in danger if excessive logging takes place creating more pollution in the long run. For these reasons land and water use has to be carefully planned out and evaluated to make renewable sources work properly.

As the technology advances in the renewable energy fields, these barriers will be relieved. One of the biggest benefits of renewable energy is the advancement of technology and education that comes in its wake.

Without support of every governmental level, the high costs to construct new and retrograde existing infrastructure will have corporations and residents alike unable to keep up with the greenest nations. Without proper funding and education in place, these hurdles are simply impossible to overcome. And overcome hurdles is a must for the future of the EU.

"It is not enough for us to talk about freedom, climate change, health, security and the environment. We need widely accepted communication tools that show progress in these fields. And that progress can only be measured with suitable indicators. So it's time to go beyond the tools developed for the very different world of the 1930s. It's time to go beyond today's confusing surfeit of unorganized data. It's time to go beyond GDP," José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission said in connection with the Beyond GDP Conference on 19-20 November 2007.

Barroso's words are as relevant today when it comes to renewable energy. Using the plans that Denmark set forth in the late 1990s it is time for the rest of Europe to catch up and not look at the hurdles in front of them but discover new communication formulas to get the population in line for the future.

Renewable energy is not a lofty ideal but the only sure way to a sustainable economy within Europe. By not relying on the importation of fossil fuels or the risks involved in nuclear energy Europe will be stronger for its people.

With renewable energy comes a better overall quality of life. Is it any wonder that Norway has consistently scored as the top nation in the world to live with Denmark following close behind? As technology grows in the field, there will be breakthroughs that lead to better ways to gain power from the sun, wind, and water. Renewable energy is the future for the European Union and the rest of the world.

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About the Creator

KJ Mullins

For the past decade I have been a freelance journalist, writing thousands of articles on all subject matters. For the past five years I have focused on the city of Toronto, mental health, arts, crime and social issues.

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