Sustainable towns: The case of Frederikshavn - 100% renewable energy

A number of Danish energy experts in 2006 made the proposal that Denmark should convert a town to 100% renewable energy by 2015. The experts suggested Frederikshavn in the northern part of Denmark for a number of reasons: The town area of 25,000 inhabitants is well defined, the local support is high, and Frederikshavn already has several big wind turbines at the harbour. In February 2007 the city council unanimously decided to go for the project and set up a project organisation involving utilities and municipality administrators. Moreover, local industry and Aalborg University are involved in the project. This chapter •presents the methodology of mapping the existing energy system including transportation and defining the share of renewable energy, which is approximately 20% in the present situation. •introduces a proposal for a potential 100% renewable energy system and a number of realistic short-term first steps by 2015, which will take Frederikshavn to approximately 40% by 2009 or 2010. •describes detailed hour-by-hour energy system analyses of the proposal for a 100% RES system. •relates the proposal to the perspective of converting Denmark to 100% renewable energy.