Turning waste into climate-friendly energy

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THE DANISH ENERGY INDUSTRIES FEDERATION – SpEcIAl ADvERTISING SUpplEmENT 60 percent of household heating in Denmark is generated from energy-efficient district heating plants. If this technology were introduced globally, CO2 emissions would be significantly reduced. By: Maren Urban Swart The demand for energy is increasing globally in line with the inexorable rise in global population. In order to avoid adverse effects on the Earth’s climate, it is essential that energy efficiency is improved. One example of this is Denmark’s unique achievements in district heating. ”We have achieved this position because we do not use resources to cool down the hot water that is created in “District heating has great potential, and is supported by EU plans to ensure that waste heat from electricity production is recovered and utilised,” says Rambøll energy director Thomas Rand. Climate friendly heating and cooling electricity production, but instead channel it into the district heating system,” says COO Kim Fausing of Danish industrial company Danfoss. Only nine percent of the heat generated globally in electricity production is utilised. If this figure was increased to 12 percent, it would equate to the energy generated by all the wind turbines in the world. This statistic helps explain why many countries worldwide are now looking towards Denmark and its competences in district heating. ”We are establishing new systems and are improving the efficiency of already existing systems worldwide,” says Kim Fausing. KEEpING cOOl Danish engineering and consultancy company Rambøll has also noted the international interest. ”We see it in FAcTs: District heating is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralised location for residential and commercial space- and water-heating requirements. the UK for example, which is establishing an increasing number of isolated district heating systems due to sustainability requirements when new urban districts are built,” says Thomas Rand, energy director at Rambøll. Rambøll’s system can provide both district heating and district cooling in a more energy-efficient way. ”We see a need for this not only internationally, but also in Denmark, where there has not previously been a demand for district cooling. The demand has occurred because of an increased focus on comfort in for example office buildings, where computers are creating a warm indoor climate,” says Thomas Rand. The energy efficiency of district cooling is five to ten times higher than air conditioning systems. ·
Project Zero creates green growth A regional think tank in the town of Sønderborg in southern Jutland has launched a project with the aim of making the area CO2 neutral by 2029 and create growth and green jobs. Many positive results have already been achieved. By: Maren Urban Swart Five years ago, the members of the think tank FUTURA SYD set the objective of creating growth in the energy industry, which gave rise to ProjectZero which aim is to make the Sønderborg area CO2 neutral by 2029, while creating a number of green jobs. “Many of the sub-projects have already been carried out, and 50 green jobs have been created in the construction industry in association with investments in heat pumps, district heating, insulation and new windows,” says Peter Rathje, managing director of ProjectZero. “In the next two or three years the energy efficiency improving project – ZE- RObolig – will create an additional 300 new jobs among manual workers and in the construction industry.” cOMpANIEs WITH A GREEN MINdsET ProjectZero is supported by more than 100 companies and shops forming part of the ZEROcompany programme, which involves setting a strategy for reducing their CO2 emissions by a minimum of 10 percent in a year. “It is clear to see that the companies who are taking a leading position in thinking green are also becoming more attractive to their customers,” says Peter Rathje. · THE DANISH ENERGY INDUSTRIES FEDERATION – SpEcIAl ADvERTISING SUpplEmENT pROjEcT zERO: More than 100 companies and shops take part in ZEROcompany learning programmes More than 500 house owners have joined ZEROhouse and are saving energy and money ProjectZero has recently been accepted into the Clinton Foundation’s Climate Positive Development Project ProjectZero collaborates with cities and universities in the Nordic countries, Germany, China and USA In 2007-2010, Sønderborg municipal area reduced its CO2 emissions by 12.6 percent ProjectZero is supported financially by SE, Danfoss (Bitten & Mads Clausens Fond), Sønderborg Municipality, DONG Energy and Nordea Fonden Read more on www.projectzero.dk ”Danish companies can increase their competitiveness if they implement energy savings. Danfoss Solutions has the capital and can help organise it,” says sales director Lars Grønbæk. Self-financing energy-saving Many companies benefit from implementing energy-saving initiatives. In just two years, they gain a saving of 15-20 percent on their energy bill. By: Marianne Sommer. Lars Grønbæk is often met with scepticism regarding the product he sells – simply because it sounds too good to be true. He is acting CEO at Danfoss Solutions, which allows companies to analyse their energy consumption and subsequently introduce self-financing energy-saving initiatives. In just a couple of years, customers benefit from savings of typically 15-20 percent. The service Danfoss provides is called ES- CO, which stands for Energy Service Company, and Danfoss Solutions has 10 years of pioneering experience in the area. ”Companies want to make savings on their energy bill, but they often give it low priority because of lack of resources, or because money is needed for replacing machinery or for a strategic investment. The advantage of ESCO is that companies do not need to pay up front. They do however need to spend time and resources on the project – but significantly less than if they received no help from us,” says Lars Grønbæk. At the start of the project, Danfoss consultants and the customer conduct an initial analysis of energy consumption, which takes a couple of months. The consultants then suggest a number of areas where the company can make savings and offer to carry out the energy-saving projects, while guaranteeing savings within a defined period of time, typically a couple of years. cOMpETITIvE AdvANTAGE The Danish biscuit and cake producer Bisca is among the companies that have made use of Danfoss Solutions’ offer to analyse energy consumption. Bisca invested EUR 675,000 in energy-saving initiatives, and with annual savings of more than EUR 405,000, return on the investment was achieved in just 18 months. ”We have made continuous efforts to minimise energy costs and CO2 emissions, but Danfoss Solution conducted a complete analysis in 2008 which provided us with a greater overview. We have saved about 30 percent of our costs since then. Around half of the savings have been made from employees changing behaviour,” says the director of Bisca Michael Budtz Berthelsen. ”The savings are very important to our competitiveness. If we do not do something to save on energy, our cakes will increase in price due to rising energy costs,” says the director, who has subsequently appointed a full-time employee to continue the work of finding energy savings. · Read more about ESCO on danfoss.com/Solutions
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