Samsø: a Sustainable Community Policy Experience
In the Kattegat Strait in eastern Denmark, Samsø, a wind-swept 114km² island, has become a model of “zero fossil” energy. Difficult to access and served by two daily ferries, the energy consumption of the 4200 inhabitants of the island was almost entirely based on oil and gasoline imported by boat, and on electricity produced by coal-fired power plants and transported by a cable from the mainland.
This time is well gone. The island of Samsø is now self-sufficient in renewable energy and aims at getting rid of any use of fossil energy by 2030.
An ambitious project that quickly bore fruits
This incredible energy adventure began in 1997 when the Danish government, renowned for its involvement in renewable energies, launched a call for projects to reduce carbon emissions while promoting renewable energies. The Samsø Island project was retained. A 10-year plan was established to carry out the project. What was their goal? Moving towards 100% renewable energy. The project was launched and in 2007 the small Danish island became the first island to cover 100% of its electricity needs -the surplus being transported to Denmark- and 70% of the heating needs.
According to the Energi Akademiet, the good wind exposure of the island enabled the installation of 21 wind turbines – 10 offshore turbines installed in the South of the island, and 11 on the land. In addition, solar farms and urban heating systems powered by straw and wood chips replace traditional fossil fuel burners. Smaller networks exist in homes that are not connected to district heating networks yet.
As a result, Samsø’s ecological footprint has been reduced by almost 140%. The inhabitants – who previously produced 45 000 tonnes of CO2 per year – have now gone into a negative footprint of 15 000 tonnes of CO2! An impressive negative figure, which is explained by the fact that surplus electricity replaces the fossil energy used on the continent.
A strong civic mobilization
The Samsø success story is the result of a strong community mobilization of citizens who wanted to meet their energy needs without external help. This is an unprecedented sustainable local and bottom-up community policy experience. Thus, many inhabitants of the island have invested in the installation of wind turbines. This is a long-term investment, motivated both by the ecological concern of the inhabitants, as well as by the economic benefits. Indeed, the financing mode of these installations is rather original. Some are the property of the municipal council, a dozen belong directly to the inhabitants and the rest to cooperatives. National and European funds have however been released to carry out the project, and preferential tariffs are guaranteed by Denmark. The total cost of the project was 55 million euros.
The Energi Academiet, a research and innovation center
The Energi Academiet, a center for scientific research and innovation built in 2007, enables Samsø to continue its actions in favor of a “zero fossil” future. It welcomes local and international visitors, intrigued by this innovative project, and wanting to draw inspiration from it.
Søren Harmensen, Director of Samsø Energi Academiet, sees it as “a pilot project to show the world what can be done”. He is however aware that the measures put in place are expensive and radical, but the aim is to encourage countries to draw their inspiration from some of the measures implemented, in order to reduce their carbon footprint.
However, there is still work to do in order to reach the target set by 2030. Indeed, fossil fuels are still used for cars and tractors, and in some homes that have not yet switched renewable heating system. However, the Energi Academiet is already implementing solutions to improve the quality of the car fleet. In addition, a new target has been set: 50% of cars will have to be electric before 2020.
The construction of a biogas plant from agricultural and domestic waste is in process.
The availability of innovative technologies, a proactive policy backed up by sufficient financial resources and an advantageous geographical location, have enabled Samsø to make a remarkable energy transition.
However, the real key to success lies in the citizen mobilization, that brought along change and innovation, and that will make the experience sustainable.