"Power to the People - Energy Consumption in Denmark" [View all]

[kristopher]

This is the easy to read brochure that explains Denmark's energy strategy, which has been a guidepost for EU policy. It gives insight into the way things work when the industry players get behind policies aimed at decarbonizing a nation's energy system.
It is also a favorite point of attack by rightwing, anti-renewable crusaders who miscast the effect of carbon taxed electricity prices in effecting such change. They use less, but still have to pay about the same per month until the obligations incurred under the old system are paid off. The carbon tax also provides funds for energy assistance to low income residents.

Posted with permission and attribution.

Power to the People
vision for a climate-neutral Denmark...
The Danish Energy Association's vision for a climate-neutral future

The Danish Energy Association has published its vision for a climate-neutral Denmark. The Power to the People vision is a set of specific proposals stating how Denmark can become climate-neutral by 2050. The vision also sets out how Denmark can move away from the oil economy, allowing it to maintain high security of supply when the oil and gas start running out.

The vision involves using energy much more efficiently and replacing the vast majority of traditional fossil fuel consumption with electricity.

The elements of the vision are as follows:

Energy consumption will become 30 per cent more efficient

Sustainable energy will cover 80 per cent of energy consumption

Most oil and petrol consumption will be phased out. Aircraft and ferries will account for the remaining oil consumption

80 per cent of petrol cars will be replaced with electric cars, and the rest will run on biopetrol and biodiesel

20 per cent of the oil and gas boilers in homes will be replaced with electric heat pumps, and the remaining homes will use solar heating and district heating

35 per cent of the oil and gas boilers in industry will be replaced with electric boilers, and the remaining energy will come from solar heating, biomass and district heating

CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) systems will be built at Danish CHP plants, which will generate electricity from a combination of biomass and coal. The CCS systems can not only remove the CO2 emissions from the smoke from the power station – they can even help to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation, shipping and agriculture.

Go here to download the full brochure:
http://www.danishenergyassociation.com/Theme/Power_to_the_People.aspx

See also: http://www.irena.org/DocumentDownloads/Publications/IRENA_GWEC_WindReport_Denmark.pdf


The discussion in this article brings things up to date.

How Denmark Turned an Efficiency Obligation Into Opportunity

Energy distribution companies in Denmark are surpassing nationwide conservation goals.

Midwest Energy News, Dan Haugen
October 10, 2013


In the U.S., there’s rising anxiety and speculation about how flat or falling electricity demand could affect utilities’ long-term business models.

In Denmark, on the other hand, electric companies have long operated in a slow- or no-growth market, and they continue to invest in further lowering customers’ energy use.

The Danish efficiency scheme has become the model for a new European Union efficiency law currently being implemented, and it could offer ideas and inspiration for U.S. policymakers, too, as they attempt to design incentives that can convince electric utilities to take a lead role in helping customers use less of the very product they sell.

Denmark has steadily invested in energy conservation ever since the 1970s energy crisis, when an Arab oil embargo caused fuel shortages and skyrocketing prices. As President Reagan was pulling solar panels off the White House roof, Denmark continued to spend money improving its building and power plant efficiency...

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/how-denmark-turned-an-efficiency-obligation-into-opportunity