The Danish energy policy has three focus points: security of
supply, climate impact and cost effectiveness.
The Government’s vision is a Danish society independent of fossil
fuels.
Climate Policy
Denmark has committed to meeting an ambitious and binding target
for reducing greenhouse gases by 2020. This target is the most
ambitious in the EU: By 2020, Denmark must have reduced the
greenhouse gas emissions from Danish non-ETS sectors by 20%
relative to 2005.
Denmark’s international commitment to a significant reduction in
the greenhouse gas emissions not covered by the ETS in the period
2013-2020 poses a special challenge. Therefore, the government has
launched a comprehensive analysis work in order to discover how
Denmark can live up to its commitment most appropriately. The work
will be published in fall 2009.
The high level of ambition underpins the need for a Danish policy
that will give Denmark the highest return on climate and energy
investments. A good example of such a climate and energy policy is
investing in wind turbines and biomass for combined heat and power
production.
Another good example is
the electric car. The current investments in
expanding the infrastructure to accommodate electric cars are a
relatively cheap way to reduce CO2 emissions from the transport
sector. The electric car solves three problems in one, since it
also provides energy savings and opportunities for increasing the
share of renewable energy in our energy system.
Read the Climate Policy 2009 for more information
Energy savings – the road forward
Energy savings and energy efficiency are important components of
Danish energy policy and contribute to limiting energy consumption.
We need significant and cost-effective energy savings within all
areas. We need to spend less energy in our homes; enterprises need
to be made more energy-efficient; and we need to aim special
efforts at public institutions.
The
energy policy agreement from 2008 sets out
ambitious goals for energy-saving initiatives. Total annual energy
savings must be raised to 1.5% of the final energy consumption for
2006 (10.3 PJ per year), which corresponds to the combined energy
consumption of about 110,000 homes. Furthermore, we must reduce
gross energy consumption by 4% by 2020 relative to 2006. At the
same time, it has been decided that the energy-savings requirements
of energy companies will be increased by about 85% from 2010, and
that the requirements for the energy performance of buildings will
be tightened by at least 25% in 2010, 2015 and in 2020.
Read more about energy savings in Denmark
here
Renewable energy in Denmark
Along with security of supply, energy savings and green growth,
expanding the use of renewable energy in Denmark is at the core of
the Danish energy policy. As a step towards the long-term goal for
a green-growth economy which is independent of fossil fuels, the
government is taking pains to deliver the ambitious goal of a share
of 20% renewables in gross energy consumption by 2011 and at least
30% in final energy consumption by 2020, as stipulated in the EU
climate and energy package. In addition, there is a binding target
of 10% renewable energy in the transport sector by 2020.
The energy agreement from February 2008 improved framework
conditions and enhanced support for wind, biomass, biogas, waste
and other renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaic solar
modules, wave power and gasification.
Read more about renewable energy in Denmark
here
Security of supply through energy savings, renewable energy
and European collaboration
The recipe for long-term security of supply is to reduce
energy consumption through energy savings, increased use of
renewables, and closer collaboration in Europe. In the short and
medium terms, coal will still however be a necessary source of fuel
if Danish security of supply is to be maintained. In 2009, the
Government will present a strategy for security of supply. This
strategy will be a catalogue of possible, new energy-policy
initiatives in the period up to 2025. The initiatives will be
discussed along with the recommendations of the Government's
Climate Commission to be released in 2010.
Read more about security of supply in Energy Policy Report
2009