CTO Assessment - European Commission

SAMSØ
Danish Renewable
Energy Island
Contacts: Mr Sören Hermansen • Samsø Energi- og Miljøkontor • Samsø
Tel.: +45-86 59 23 22 • Fax: +45-86 59 23 11 • E-mail: samso@sek.dk
Mr JohnsenNielsen • Samsø Energy Company • Samsø • Denmark
Tel.: +45 8659 3211• Fax: +45 8792 2221 • E-mail inf@veo.dk
Samsø is an island geographically located
almost exactly in the heart of Denmark with
an area of 114 km 2 . The population of the
island is about 4,400 inhabitants and main
industries on the island are agriculture, tourism,
and services. Total gross energy consumption
is about 900 TJ/year, from which
the energy consumption in the transport sector
is excluded, a renewable energy (RE) accounts
for 12-15%.
People on the island have been trying to introduce
RE since 1980’s, and then they made
a energy plan together with the local utility
company (NRGi) and consulting companies
in order to respond to the national energy
policy “Energi 21” which was approved in
the parliament in 1996. In the plan it was
aimed that the intensive saving of energy in
the sector of power generation, heat supply,
and transport would be implemented and the
current energy supply system would be transformed
into the renewable energy system
within the next 10 years (1998-2007).
The project was chosen as “Danish Renewable
Energy Island” by the Danish Energy
Agency in 1997, because the Danish government
expected at that time that the project in
Samsø would be a model of solution for the
international society, authorities, planners,
and not least the inhabitants of local community
who were facing the many challenges.
The projects
Electricity supply projects: Total electricity
consumption in Samsø is about 28,000
MWh (101 TJ)/year.
In the wind turbine project, 11 of 1MW wind
turbines were built at the south of island in
2000. They are producing about 27,000
MWh/year, which is nearly same as the annual
electricity consumption in the island and
reduce CO 2
by about 22,000 t/year.
Heat supply projects: Total heat consumption
in Samsø is about 232 TJ/year, about
30% of which is made of biomass. It is
considered in the plan that additional insulation
and renovation of buildings, introduction
of energy control and improvement
in the effectiveness of heat supply
plant will make it possible to cut this consumption
by 21%. 60% of households will
be connected to the network of district heating
and remaining 40% in the rural area
will be supplied with heat by individual systems
such as heat pumps, solar heating,
wood chips, farm-based biogas plant and
household wind turbines.
Projects in the transport sector
Roughly 310 TJ/year is consumed in the
transport sector for ferries, cars, buses, and
trucks etc. Information campaigns, introduction
of energy control, improvement of driving
technique, changed services, and new forms
of cooperation in delivering should make it
possible to reduce the consumption by at least
5%. Consumption can be reduced by further
15% if electrically powered vehicles replace
service vehicles and half of the private cars
on the island.
Despite the reduction and conversion to electrical
cars, the transport sector will still consume
250 TJ of fossil fuels per year, and
therefore to supply the same amount of energy
consumed in the transport sector the
installation of offshore wind farm is planned.
The first planning phase for a 23 MW offshore
wind farm at south or west of Samsø
started in the autumn of 1998. The second
planning phase started in the spring of 2000.
In 2002 10 wind turbines were finally built
3.5 km south from Samsø. The Offshore wind
farm will produce about 250 TJ of electricity
which substitute the same amount of energy
consumed in the transport sector. In the
long term, a hydrogen plant will be established
in 2005. The plant will be powered by
electricity from offshore wind turbines and
supply hydrogen to cars, which can be driven
by hydrogen.
Overall evaluation
The total cost for implementation of the energy
plan is about DKK 590 million, and a
total subsidy of about DKK 70 million is
needed in order to ensure competitive
economy for consumers.
However, at the same time, the island can
save about DKK 54 million/year, which is
used for purchasing fossil fuels and electricity,
and then that money will be used for purchasing
bio fuels, employing construction
labour, operating new plant, financing, etc.
and will circulate in the island.
In terms of environment, a complete conversion
of the energy supply system will mean
that emissions of SO X
, CO 2
, and particles will
be removed completely, while emissions of
NO X
will be reduced by about half. Moreover,
to use manure in biogas plant makes it
possible to reduce odours and pathogenic
bacteria in manure.
People’s commitment
In the Samsø projects the importance is
placed on people’s commitment at all levels,
especially politically, technically, and financially.
Foreningen Samsø Energi- og Miljøkontor
and Samsø Energiselskabet which were established
to promote participation of residents
play an important role in this process.
For example, Samsø Energiselskabet consists
of representatives of Samsø municipality,
the Commercial Council, the Farmer’s
Association and Foreningen Samsø Energiog
Miljøkontor, and its secretariat widely
provides general information.
Residents take both benefit from and responsibility
for projects by participating them. It
is very important, because it raises a resident’s
interest in the projects and thereby
they proceed smoothly. Therefore, it is very
important for a region that wants to convert
the current energy system into the RE system
to make residents as involved in project
as possible.
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