Renewable Energy in Thisted Municipality

1. Biogas
Biomass
46.000 residents in Thisted Municipality in Thy,
Denmark
are leading the field – 100% Renewable

2. Thisted Municipality, Denmark
Biogas
Biomass

3. Thisted Municipality
• Thisted municipality in Thy covers an area of 1.093 km2, with
approx. 46,000 inhabitants
• One of the largest municipalities in Denmark
• Rural region characterised by nature
• Rolling hills, farmland and gentle fjord landscape
• 100 km of unique coastline
• Great surfing ‘Cold Hawaii’
• First National Park in Denmark
• In 2007, Thy was awarded
the European Solar Prize for its outstanding
share of renewable energy.

4. Renewables for all energy needs
• Biomass
• Biomass for district heating
• For the last 30 years, farmers,
• Biogas and manure separation in
industry, utilities and small and large scale facilities
cooperatives in Thy have
• Geothermic cooling
extensively invested in and used
• Geothermic heat
renewable energy resources.
• Passive house technology
• “In Thy we live and breathe
• Next generation vehicles including
renewable energy. That is the hydrogen power
essence of the Thy model where
• Waste incineration for district
people, economics and heating
technology come together to
• Wave power
create clean carbon neutral
• Wind Power
energy.” Thisted Municipality
• Wind energy management

5. Self-supplying
• Heating: Thisted, the main town and
the other smaller towns in the
municipality all have 100% district
heating with 85% using biomass. 86%
of the heating in the Thy region comes
from renewable energy.
• Electricity: Thisted is self-supplying in
terms of its electricity consumption.
Wind energy covers 80% of Thisted’s
electricity needs. Biogas and CHP
make up the balance.
• There are several CHP plants in the
municipality. CHP plants use natural
gas and also use other forms of
renewable energy e.g. biomass such
as straw, wood pellets, wood chips and
waste material.
CO2 emissions saved: almost 90.000 tons per year

6. Local supply of electricity
Wind
Thy:
• 226 windmills
• 114.640 KW installed wind capacity
• 35.830 KW installed CHP capacity
• 2008: power production from wind energy of 265 GWh
• 2008: power consumption of 339 GWh
• Electricity Consumption
• 80% from wind
• 20% from biogas and CHP waste
• a small amount of PV

7. Electricity Consumption
• The total annual
production from the 226
windmills together with
biogas and CHP waste
accounts for 100% of the
electricity consumed in
Thisted Municipality.

8. • Distinct economic benefits from locally owned turbines.
Renewables create new prosperity and jobs for a
considerable number of people. This foster local
acceptance of wind power

9. Local mobilization
Three important parameters
to remember about Thisted:
•Thisted involves its citizens actively
•Thisted involves local companies
•Thisted uses mature technology that exists in the field
•Achieve the best result when these interact in a
sensible and economical way

10. The people of Thy have
taken a proactive
approach and managed
to turn the power of
nature to their advantage.
• Local knowledge and
expertise very important
• Municipality occupies the
role of coordinator and
planner bringing together
local enthusiasts.

11. Strong Local Support in Thy
Strong local support is crucial; is obtained by
• Local ownership of windmills
• Local ownership of biogas plants by several farmers
• All the CHP plants and then district heating are not-for-profit
consumer owned
• Strong political focus on renewable energy in “The
Energetic Citizens of Thy” – new initiative
Windmills in
fields of barley.

12. THY – leading in Renewable Energy
kW pr. capita
3
2,5
2
kW/capita
1,5
1
0,5
0
Thy Denmark Spain Germany USA UK France
Country

13. Wind generated electricity
• Thisted - total of 226 windmills in
2008
• No NIMBY effect among local
people until recently

14. Related impacts
The transformation to renewable energy led to the
emergence of several new local industries:
• Bach composite, main supplier of nacelles for Vestas
• Cimbria SKET, leading producer of presses for treatment of oil
seeds
• Several additional sub-suppliers for the wind mill industry
• TVT biogas plant builder
• Ideal Combi making energy-efficient windows

15. Production one 2 MWwindmill:
8 Mio. kWh/y

16. Windmills are a natural part of the landscape
Roshage møllen
Svankjær vindmøller

17. Wind energy and industry

18. Shaping the landscape
Folkecenter for Renewable
Energy

19. Windmill foundation for coastal protection

20. New income for the farmers

21. Powerfull simplicity

22. In harmony with nature

23. BIOMASS AND WIND
WORKING TOGETHER
Biomass –
a CO2 neutral local energy resource

24. Østerild local district heating
Biomass district heating for 200 households

25. What is biomass?
• Biomass comes in many different forms
• Agricultural residues
– Food-processing (pits, shells, hulls)
– Manure (from cows, pigs,
chickens and other farm animals)
– Residues from crop harvesting/processing
(stalks and stems, husks,)
• Wood residues
– Processing residues (waste materials produced in the
processing of lumber)
• Trimmings, sawdust, shavings, bark, etc. often converted
into wood chips and/or wood pellets.
– Forest residues (Materials from forest restoration, thinning,
storm hazards or harvesting activities)
• Tops and limbs, branches, bark, small diameter trees.

26. Energy crops
Energy crops
• Trees - Poplar, willow, and other “short-rotation" woody crops
How is biomass used to produce energy?
Primary methods:
• Direct Combustion -- Producing heat, which can then be used for
thermal applications or electricity
• Gasification -- Converting the biomass into a gas, which can then be
combusted in CHP producing heat and power.

27. Biomass district heating
100% self sufficient heating from biomass district
heating carried out in: Hurup
• Hurup
• wood chips
• Vestervig
• wood chips
• Bedsted
• wood pellets Wood Pellets Renewable.
• Øsløs Carbon-neutral.
• wood chips
A domestic resource.
• Frøstrup
• wood chips A source of economic
development and job
• Sennels creation.
• wood pellets

28. Large farm biogas plants
• Boddum, Kappel
• Brund, Kirk
• Hunstrup, Kirk
• Bedsted, Riis

29. Two main supply forms:
Wind and CHP

30. Renewable Energy
• RE from windmills, biogas, biomass, plant oil,
geothermal, solar energy and waste heat from industry

31. Combined heat and power
• Simultaneous generation of usable heat and power
• Utilizes the heat produced in electricity generation rather
than releasing it wastefully into the atmosphere
• Secure and highly efficiency in excess of 85% efficiency
• CHP Applications:
• In malt factory and waste incineration
• District heating (heat distributed from CHP plant)
• Water based district heating by insulated pipes. 85
degrees C.

32. Five CHP plants

33. Thisted Municipality Heating System
1. Heat fish co.
2. Waste wood
3. Waste wood
4. Waste wood
5. CHP (waste)
6. Geothermal
6a. Straw biomass
7. Wood pellets
8. Wood chips
9. Wood chips
10. CHP Nat Gas
11. Gas oven
backup
12. Biofuel
13. CHP Nat. Gas
14, 15, 16. Back up
17. Malt Plant
18. CHP Nat Gas
19. CHP Nat Gas

34. Thyra supplies10.000 households
with heat and some power

35. CHP for 10.000 households
District heating pipe system

36. Geothermic heat Thisted

37. Biomass – heat from straw

38. Peak loads covered by CHP

39. Local CHP plants prepared for
bio fuels
The local decentralized CHP primarily use natural gas
but are prepared for bio-fuel use
• Hanstholm 4 MWel
Snedsted
• Klitmøller 2 MWel Discussing
• Vorupør 2 MWel the move to
bio-fuels
• Snedsted 3 MWel
• Dragsbaek malt factory 8 MWel

40. Advanced CHP:
42% Power + 48% Heat

41. The Danish way:
Clean and decentralized energy solutions
Wind Energy and Combined Heat and Power

42. “What we see in Thisted is a blueprint for
adapting to climate change. It shows that
people and communities really count.”
Jacqueline McGlade, Director, European Environmental
Agency

43. Consumption of power is steady
–
Windpower fluctuates

44. Yearly electricity consumption

45. Windpower is fluctuating
08.09.2008 12pm Sat 18.04.2009 3pm Sat
www.energinet.dk

46. Power Production West Denmark
08/09/2007 18/04/2009
12pm Sat 3pm Sat
Central power plants 888 1237
Decentral power plants 295 363
Wind power production 1804 148
export/import 935 193
Power consumption 2052 1941
Production in MW

47. Transportation
• There are about 17,000 private vehicles in Thisted
municipality, driving 16,000 km per year at 10 km/l at 10
kWh/l.
• With this in mind, replacing these cars with electric cars
which are at least 3 times more efficient than the
average car, would require 90 GWh electricity from 21
additional 2 MW turbines.
• These turbines would be
additional to the 226 windmills
already existing in the area.

48. NEXT STEP
Autonomous supply of energy:
Integrating wind and CHP

49. WIND, GAS, POWER AND HEAT
Energy efficient supply
of heat and power: Gas supply
Natural gas 3 MWel CHP
Wind and 10 MWth electric boiler
3 Mwel & 4MWth CHP
10 MW electric boiler for heating
4 x 1,65 MW wind turbines

50. What is community power?
• Community power is typically owned and operated by
the community
• Community power primarily takes the form of
decentralised green power generation
• Wind power, solar power, biogas, biomass, and
combined heat and power are examples of such
infrastructure
• Financial benefits are returned to the community
• Community has a choice and
may choose what infrastructure
fits best with their needs and is
economically efficient.

51. Benefits of community power
- Local Community Owns/Installs/Operates local green
power producing infrastructure
- Benefits from the infrastructure are reaped by local
community
- Local pollution reduction, CO2 reduction, job creation,
business development, economic diversification and skill
building.
- Once a community has experience with community
power, that skill can be transferred to other communities.
- Sense of community and acceptance is reinforced by
working on projects which benefit the community

52. Future developments
• Recently, plans have been presented about integrating all the local
autonomous energy plants in Thisted municipality in one integrated
autonomous system.
• This plan suggests that new additional wind power capacity peaks
will be used for district heating.
• A further development of wind power will make wind energy the
primary source of electricity and heating.
• When there is a local surplus of wind electricity this will be used in
combined heating and power plants and replace natural gas and
biomass.
• Biomass will function as back-up storage when wind- and solar
energy is not sufficient to cover the need for electricity and heating.

53. Next step: Autonomous energy supply

54. Energy Autonomy Dubai
Power, Heat and Cooling The Hotel
54

55. Solar and Wind Power in a City
Lighthouse Tower in
Dubai
Features:
- altitude: 400 meters
- three 29 meter diameter,
-225 KW wind turbines
- 4000 PV panels
-

56. • Folkecenter for Renewable Energy – the
Ecosite of the Thisted Municipality

57. Folkecenter for Renewable Energy
• Developing and
testing new CO2
neutral energy
solutions
• One of the biggest
eco-sites in Europe

58. Partner in Community
Development
Folkecenter for Renewable Energy –
technologies,
encouragement,
innovation

59. Folkecenter develops
Building Integrated PV

60. Waste water – a resource

61. Nissum Bredning Test Station
for Wave Energy Machines
Test station operated and owned by Folkecenter

62. Folkecenter has Test Station
for Small Windmills
Six platforms for
testing of windmills
from 0,5 KW to 75 KW
5 KW Victor windmill tested by Folkecenter.

63. Public meeting on future
ownership of the big windmills

64. Expert‘s Statement
“The surprise is why isn’t everyone
else doing what Thisted is doing?
They are a lighthouse but this should
be going on now all over the world”
Jeremy Rifkin, founder and president,
Foundation on Economic Trends

65. Celebrities visit Thy to study
renewable energy

66. Thy attracts international media
and politicians in 2008
Minister Smitherman,
Energy Autonomy film Canada
Suzuki Diaries,
CBC, Canada CCTV10 FROM CHINA

67. EUROPEAN SOLAR PRIZE 2007
• Mayor Erik Hove Olesen Dr. Hermann Scheer
states: gives the Award to
the Mayor
"I am very proud and grateful that
we today receive this award.
Not us as authorities have the
honour. Our 46.000 citizens,
the Folkecenter and our 1700
local companies made the
change. The many windmill
owners, the farmers that have
biogas plants and the
community utilities, they have
together made Thy self-
sufficient with energy."

68. EUROPEAN SOLAR PRIZE 2007
• Thy in December 2007 got the
esteemed EUROPEAN
SOLAR PRIZE due to its
From the EUROSOLAR award ceremony at KfW in Berlin.
outstanding share of
renewable energy in the
municipality.
• The mayor of Thisted gave a
speech and said that Thisted
would like to have even more
renewable energy.

69. Transition to a
Renewable Energy Economy

70. 3 km
Green Waste Water Treatment Earth-Sheltered
Earth-
Building
Wave Energy Test Site
Plus Energy House StrawBale House
Wind Blade Expo
Wind Hydrogen Biodome
Solar Heat
Integrated Solar Cells
Plant Oil
Preben Maegaard
www.maegaard.net
Small Wind Turbine Test Site

71. Thank you for your attention!
For further information please visit
www.folkecenter.net