As the Green Thought Association, we are conducting a cooperation project with the Nordisk Folkecenter as part of a Nongovernmental Exchange Programme in order to expand the democratic use of renewable energy. In the scope of this Programme, we participated in various activities over 6 months to assess the situation in the two countries, to learn about best practices and model in Denmark, Turkey and other countries in Europe to strengthen their cooperation and communication networks. Recently, we visited the Nordisk Folkecenter center in Denmark as a Green Thought Association team. https://civilsocietyexchange.org/partnerships/green-thought-association-and-nordic-folkecenter/
You can read the short notes from our visit to Denmark below;
Day-1
Thyborøn Wind Roses
A cooperative which has seven wind turbines. They started planning in 1997 and the first turbine began operating in 2003. Each turbine has a capacity of 2 MW, their annual production is 1GW.
Against them, stand 4 offshore wind turbines of 28 MW capacity which began operating in 2015, and are owned mutually by Siemens and Vestas. The cost of these wind turbines is 8 million Danish kroner and the turbines have been installed on driving stakes 80 meters below the sea. In this way, a plant is less cost-effective than onshore turbines.
One of the wind turbines set-up by the cooperative is operating with 50% efficiency, 15 years old and in capable of 3600 kWatt production. It is not active all throughout the year. The cooperative member of the facility was formerly a banker and worked on the financing of windmills. The cooperative began to profit from turbines within 5 years. The cooperative members are people living in Thyboron and Harboron. They see the cooperative as “Local turbines for local people”.
In 1989, they built the first wind turbine and the local people were always convinced that 7 windmills would be set-up. They are in continuous contact with the cooperative of Lemvig, another cooperative in the wind farm. Lemvig cooperative also has 30,000 customers / users. 3 of the turbines have private investment but there is also a share of local participation. Within the company, the production is monitored through a 25% share of local people. The Thyboron co-operative had 1400 members when it started but currently has 1100 members. Although there are different players in the region, there is a concept in which local people are fully involved in the system.
Harboore CHP Facility
B & W volund Gasification Technologies is a company that uses gasification technology as an alternative to traditional methods of heating. Founded in 1992. In 1996, it started to be used as regional central heating technology for Harboore.
The plant includes reactors that work on sawdust.
The operating principle of this reactor is converting the wood waste into the gas by treatment with oxygen, nitrogen and air moistened with water. The most recent gas is cleaned in the gas cooler (gas cleaner) and transformed into the desired form for heating purposes, for electricity, or if there is any need, environmentally friendly gas can also be produced.
There is minimal energy loss. Ash that is by-product of the process is a very small part of the original biomass, and these ashes are low in total organic carbon value.
The ashes are also scattered in the forest and contribute to sustainability. Since 2002, the wastewater treatment system has been commissioned. 25% of the resulting product is gas and 75% is heat. So in the summer and while in maintenance, some engines are turned off for 14 days per year. The facility is implementing the cogeneration concept. This concept is based on the principle of heating and generating electricity. Almost 97% of the city use this system. There are 700 users, 19,000 kW produced heat, 13,000 kW consumed heat and 5000 kw lost heat ratio. The 700 households, which are the users of the system, have systematized the production-consumption process by establishing a collective structure. After the year 2000, electricity started to be produced. It is used for a diameter of 50 km.
Tvind Climate Centre
Tvindkraft is the longest-running (40 years) wind turbine in the world, built in 1975 with the joint effort of hundreds of volunteers acting against nuclear energy.
It is a movement that shows the alternative by building a windmill. The established wind turbine has a heigth of 54 meters and was the largest windmill in the world at that time. The interesting thing is that the turbine builders are not only engineers. The turbine was built with the people of every profession who opposed nuclear power and protested environmental pollution. Usually Tvind school teachers are on the field. Three years after the windmill was installed, the plant started to produce electricity from the turbine.
This facility has opened its doors to anyone who wants to live in nature. A system has been established by enable the people who have social disadvantage that cannot meet their basic needs such as food and shelter to contribute to the production. They have staff who provide psychiatric support or carry out workshops. This community works in many sustainable areas from agriculture to clothing, energy to water. Not only disadvantaged people, but all people who want to do an internship or come out of comfort are part of this community.
Day-2
Snedsted Solar District Heating
The 3000 MW produced meets the electricity needs of 600 users for the winter. In the summer there is only use of hot water, no use of heat.
It took them 11 years to recompansate their investment in the solar field. After 11 years they were able to sell the electricity they produced. Thanks to this facility, the use of gas decreased by 33%. The water heated in solar collectors is collected in a tank of 22 thousand liters and delivered to users from here.
As with other installations, panel installations provide space saving in this example. Thus, other jobs can be done in places where there is solar installation. Solar panels use water heat system and water in panels can protect panels up to -15 degrees.
Consumption demand is 70 MW in winter and 10 MW in summer. The total cost is 2 million euros and the cost for each user is around 4 thousand euros.
The cooperative has a board meeting every two years. When they are divided into two, they have the same number of people who are not equal in number, and so when they make a decision, they continue on what the majority says. People elected to the delegation in a period cannot be chosen on top of each other. Thus, those who have not been previously selected or not applied can have the right on comment in the cooperative.
This is a functioning cooperative municipal model. They work with the municipal banks to which they are affiliated and provide convenience. The municipality was the guarantor of solar energy investments. Even the loans received in the functioning financing model are earned.
Østerild – National Test Centre for Large Wind Turbines
It is home of the largest windmill in the world. Brands like Siemens and Vestas are testing the turbines here before launching. The world’s largest wind turbine is in this testing area, its capacity is 8MWatt and it is 160 meters high.