This is a real challenge recognizes Jan Elleriis

From December 7, the city of Copenhagen will be under the spotlight at the Conference on climate change. But there is one area where the capital of the Denmark is already for example: its energy policy. The urban heating network that it has developed is a master piece. "The day after the first oil shock, the Denmark is engaged in a policy to reduce its dependence on oil," says Anders Dyrelund, commercial Director of Ramboll, Danish engineering company working in the sector of energy. To do this, turning back to nuclear power, he chose to rely on coal and natural gas and to promote cogeneration of electricity and heat, and therefore the heating.

Mandatory connection

In June 2000, a decree will speed up things. It allows local communities to make the connection to the network of district heating mandatory for new buildings, but also old. So the Copenhagen urban heating network serves more than 90 of the buildings, "with as a result decreased from 25 to 10 kg/m 2 CO2 emissions related to the buildings since 1980", says Anders. Dyrelund as early as the 1990s, the shift to renewable energy (wood, Geothermy...) was initiated, including cogeneration, with incentives in the form of grants.

But the Denmark does not intend to rest there and a new plan for the period 2010-2025 and beyond. Its objective: to go further still in the postage of fossil fuels and the reduction of CO2 emissions, and this at an acceptable cost to the community. "Copenhagen, four scenarios were envisioned with several deadlines (2010, 2015, 2020 and 2025) that explore different options in terms of technology, consumption of heat and renewable energy, knowing that in all cases of figure, the latter must be of at least 70 in 2025, compared to 50 today", says Jan Elleriis, Vice-President of CRTone of the companies providing the distribution of heat in the Danish capital.

Develop in Europe

Ultimately, this is the scenario where the heat is produced only from incinerated waste and renewable energy which gives the best result in terms of reduction of CO2 emissions with only about 200,000 of issued tonnes each year. "However, this scenario assumes that either resolved the question of supply, transport and storage of some 2 million tonnes of biomass per year on the horizon of 2025, mainly as a wood pellet." "This is a real challenge", recognizes Jan Elleriis.

Quite predictably, this is the reference scenario (unchanged system from today) which gives the best results. Finally, even with an increase in the consumption and use fossil fuels to handle consumption peaks, the full switch to district heating is preferable to the maintenance of a fraction of heating, even with a reduction of the application. And, in economic terms, the options that retain a share of heating are also the most expensive.

"All argues for the extension of the urban heating", concludes Jan Elleriis. A conclusion which is also at European level, since an investigation by the European Commission and the European association of urban heating, Euroheat and Power, has calculated that it would be possible annually save up to 400 million tonnes of CO2 emissions if European countries developed more heating.