Coal-fired Denmark sets an energy efficiency example to the world

At the ongoing COP15 conference, there has been much attention focused on the number of degrees Celsius by which the Earth's temperature can be permitted to rise without precipitating climate catastrophe. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) spelled out clearly in its 4th report (AR4) that 2.0-2.4ºC is the upper limit if the Earth is to be saved from climate destabilisation. And IPCC assesses that there must be a 50-80% global reduction in CO2 emissions from 2000 to 2050 to prevent the temperature rise breaching this limit.

 

At first sight, that CO2 reduction challenge looks daunting. But the fact is that Denmark, the country where COP15 is taking place, has already reached a level of national energy efficiency that – if replicated across the globe today – would according to calculations from the confederation of Danish Industry reduce energy use by 40% and CO2 emissions by a commensurate amount. And remember, Denmark is a country which currently gets around three-quarters of its energy from fossil fuels.

 

So how is largely coal-fired Denmark (with its world-renowned wind turbines whirring sweetly in the background) able to make so much less CO2 from the energy it uses than many other countries? The answer is twofold. Firstly, Denmark's coal-fired power stations achieve a high energy utilisation percentage by recovering as much waste heat from electricity production as possible for other energy applications, such as district heating. Secondly, Danish industry has focused on energy efficiency over many years as a necessary response to the government's continuous strategy of pricing energy relatively high. This has resulted in an impressively energy-lean Danish industry.

 

Countries like China, which is widely reported in the media to be commissioning one new coal-fired power station every 10 days, could well be interested in studying Denmark's ultra-efficiency in the power station sector, while virtually all industrialised lands will find some aspect of energy-efficient Danish technology of interest to them.

 

Both in the halls of Bella Center where COP15 is taking place, and at the Bright Green Expo during the weekend 'interval' between the two working weeks of the climate change conference, delegates from 192 countries worldwide will have ample opportunity to see the technology Denmark can already offer today to help nations worldwide reach ambitious CO2 reduction targets and, by acting together, bring CO2 emission levels down sufficiently to keep the global temperature rise below the critical 2.0-2.4ºC limit.