The carbon compensating island
The Danish island Samsø has a negative carbon footprint. Offshore wind power is compensating the island's emissions from transportation.
ZERO. Offshore wind turbines make sure the CO2 emissions from transportation on Samsø is zero. (Photo: Energiakademiet.dk)
Samsø was selected Denmark's renewable energy island i 1997, and ten years later the island was defined as energy independent. Today all electricity used on the island is generated from wind, and about 75 percent of the heating needed on the island is met with renewable heating sources.
Public meetings on turbine plans
The public on Samsø was engaged in finding sites to erect wind turbines when the island started moving towards a target of electricity self-sufficiency. Eleven 1 MW wind turbines at a total cost of about 8.8 million euros were erected in 1999 and 2000. The public meetings were important; the goal was to inform and secure support from the people living on the island.
Onshore wind power compensating transport
Regulating transportation is difficult. The Samsø Ten Year Plan recommended campaigns for energy efficient driving habits and for electrical cars. But the island still needs oil for transportation. Thus, in addition to the onshore turbines generating electricity, another ten 2.3 MW turbines were erected offshore south of the island. These mills are compensating the CO2 emissions generated by Samsø's transport sector. The cost of erected the offshore turbines was about 33.3 million euros.
Renewable heating
The share of the total heat production produced by renewable energy on Samsø increased from about 25 percent in 199 to about 65 percent in 2005. During this same period, there was a 10 percent decrease in the heat consumption. When the project started, the existing homes could join the district heating system on a voluntary basis. Only the new buildings built in areas with existing or planned district heating are compelled to connect to the district heating system. District heating on Samsø is based on straw, wood chips and solar heat. Still, more than 2000 houses aretoo far away from the district heating systems. The owners of the houses may choose whether they want to renewable heating sources or not.
Further reading:
- Danish port aims to be 'fossil-fuel free' city
- Samso, the Danish island living off-grid (Photos, The Guardian)
Others wish to copy Samsø
According to the travelling magazine Balkan Travellers the Greek government has decided to create a green island in Greece, following the example of Samsø:
Ai Stratis to Become Greece’s First Green Island
(BalkanTravellers)
