Learning from Danish energy independence

Filed in archive Sustainable Development on May 27, 2006

My good friend Mette sent along this information for our readers about a Danish delegation visit to Stanford University on Thursday, June 1st from 9:00 to 11:25 a.m. to promote the opening of Innovation Center Denmark in Palo Alto. The Ambassador of Denmark to the US, Friis Arne Petersen, will be available for interviews on Denmark's energy policy. He is part of a delegation led by His Royal Highness Prince Joachim of Denmark.

The theme of the visit is: How Denmark became energy independent
- and how USA can benefit from the Danish experience with sustainable energy.

From the press release:

During the first oil crisis in 1973, Denmark was 99% dependent on imported energy. Today, decades of focused research and a sound incentive structure have granted Denmark complete energy independence. Sustainable energy now totals 14% of a diversified, Danish energy consumption. Biomass (including waste) is the single most important source of renewable energy in Denmark, and more than 20% of the total power generated in the country come from wind turbines, - a world record. In a US market eagerly looking for fossil fuel alternatives, Denmark has something to offer.

Sustainable energy is one of the core competencies facilitated by the new Center, which will accelerate Danish technology based companies entry into Silicon Valley innovation networks and funding communities. Marianne Toftegaard Poulsen, director of the new Innovation Center, can give further details on the mission behind the expanded Danish presence in the area.

The schedule looks like this:

Global Climate and Energy Project: 9:35-10:30am, Global Climate Energy Project Offices, Peterson Laboratory, Building 550, 2nd floor.

The project conducts fundamental research on technologies that will permit the development of global energy systems with significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. The delegation will receive a general overview of the program and discuss Danish contributions within this field of research.

Presentation of the Program on Food Security and the Environment: 10:45 - 11:25 am.

The delegation will attend a presentation on the Food Security and the Environment program. The program aims to design new approaches to solve these persistent and under-prioritized problems, expand higher education and provide direct policy outreach.

The delegation will be available to reporters throughout the program. To coordinate interviews, please contact Mette McCall: 415.847.8649. Or if you need more information, you can contact me and I'll send her the message. Also see the Danish embassy website.

In other news ...

*CSIRO Report says sun will soon match coal, from Pharoz.

*The University of Guelph is hosting an international conference June 4 to 7 on sustainable livelihoods and ecosystem health.

*Al Gore to write forward for Worldchanging book, from Progressives for Al Gore.

*From the Earth Policy Institute - The World After Oil Peaks.