District Energy in Denmark

| 1990 Heat Supply Act |

Denmark's dependence on imported oil grew steadily after the second world war, and provided 92% of Danish energy supplies at the time of the first oil crisis in 1973, while the degree of energy self-sufficiency was only about 2%. The drastic rise in oil prices was a severe shock to the Danish economy and brought forward many ideas for energy conservation, fuel switching, and use of indigenous energy sources. Moreover, large quanitites of natural gas and oil were discovered in the Danish part of the North Sea. District energy was in a good position to fulfill this need, since at the time district heating supplied 30% of the Danish heating market, and one-third of this heating was providing from combined heat and power plants.

Since 1973, Denmark has achieved remarkable success with its energy programs:

• Dependence on imported oil was reduced from 42% of total energy consumption to only 2%.
• Use of indigenous energy sources rose from 2% of total energy consumption to 65%.
• District heating market penetration rose from 30% to 50%
• The percentage of district heating produced by cogeneration plants rose from 33% to 64%.
• Renewable energy now provides 20% of district heating:
• Refuse incineration - 10%
• Biomass - 9%
• Industrial waste heat - 1%
• Only 16% of district heating is now generated by fossil fuels in heat-only plants:
• Oil - 1%
• Natural gas - 11%
• Coal - 4%

1996/97 Nordwärme Data

• Total area - 43 000 sq km
• Population - 5 251 000
• District heat delivered - 100,8 PJ (28 TWh)
• District heat delivered per capita - 5.3 MWh/capita
• Subscribed demand - 19 GW
• Heat provided by cogeneration - 62%
• Heat provided by heat-only plants - 38%
• Total length of district heating pipelines - 20 000 km
• Total number of customers - 564 000
• Annual sale of district heating - 1 500 000 000 ECU

1993 Euroheat & Power data

• District heating companies - 425 (375)
• CHP plants - 275 (150)
• Heating plants - 725
• Maximum heat output capacity - 15.1 GW
• Heat delivered to pipelines - 110 PJ (99.4 PJ)
• Total length of pipeline system - 20.000 km (18.000 km)
• Heat delivered/pipeline length - 5,5 TJ/km

District Energy Publications

• Combined Heat and Power Generation and District Heating in Denmark: History, Goals, and Technology by Henry Manczyk
• District Heating in Denmark
• Small-scale Combined Heat and Power in Denmark

District Energy Research and Educational Institutions in Denmark

• European Institute of Environmental Energy
• Centre of Biomass Technology
• Dandok Energy Database, excellent source research material on district heating.
• TopService ApS
• CO2 reduction in Denmark

Danish Government Agencies

• Ministry of Energy and Environment
  • Note: Denmark is perhaps the only country where a single minister is responsible for both energy and environment.
• EnR/SAVE Cogeneration Network Page

District Energy Associations

Danske Fjernvarmeværkers Forening (DFF) [Danish District Heating Association]

Danish Board of District Heating

	Brancheforeningen for Decentral Kraftvarme
	(The association for decentralised CHP)
	Haandvaerksraadet
	Amaliegade 15
	1256 Kobenhavn K (Copenhagen K), Denmark
	Tel: +45 33 93 20 00  
	Fax: +45 33 32 01 74

	Foreningen Danske Kraftvarmevfrker
	(The association for mini-CHP)
	Slotsgade 70
	9330 Dronninglund, Denmark
	Tel: +45 98 84 26 11

Nordvärme

Euroheat & Power - unichal

Virtual Library for District Energy