With the project "Høje-Taastrup Going Green", part of the Interreg IVB – North Sea Region Programme E-Mobility NSR North Sea Region Electric Mobility Network, implemented by NTU during 18 months between 2014 and 2015, we aimed at demonstrating how an "ordinary" Danish municipality can successfully accelerate its transformation to the use of fossil-free energy sources within the power, heating and transport sectors. Indeed, the transport and distribution sectors were identified as being the ones generating the highest CO2 emissions within the municipality. Funded by the Danish Energy Agency with a budget over €1 million, analyses and visionary demonstration projects enabled the success of the "Høje-Taastrup Going Green” project. The project complemented the Danish national energy and climate policy, aiming at making Denmark independent from fossil fuels by 2050.
How we did it
The project activities covered all program priority areas, as follows:
- Energy efficiency in buildings and systems integration: Uncovering the potential and development of concepts for promoting energy efficiency in municipal, residential and commercial buildings;
- Fossil-free electricity: Uncovering the local and inter-municipal opportunities for increased use of renewable energy sources in electricity and heating (collective and not collective) and energy storage.
- Fossil free heat supply: Analysing and planning the deployment of cooling and low temperature heating.
- Fossil-free transportation: Development of renewable energy solutions for freight and passenger transport.
- Fossil-free and resource-efficient urban development: Developing future scenarios for accelerated conversion of energy used in urban areas to fossil free energy, interacting with energy efficiency initiatives.
A main activity implemented by NTU is the development of a demonstration project for elimination of CO2 emissions in the transport, logistics and distribution sectors, which was identified as the most polluting within the municipality. Several sector specific studies were also completed, including an assessment of needs and resources for infrastructure transformative processes and business models for achieving a cost-effective conversion to alternative fuels. Demonstration events and workshops on alternative sources of energy were also organized. Additionally, a knowledge platform was built for promoting the use of hydrogen, electrolysis, biogas, biofuel, compressed natural gas and renewable liquid gasification, and informing on the most efficient and optimal application of each energy source in the context of urban development. This was set up in order to ensure the most efficient and optimal application of each energy source, in line with the legally imposed framework. The workshops enabled to create a platform for knowledge, further development and implementation of a large range of projects, thus leading to the practical implementation of facilities for alternative fuels in the Høje-Taastrup Transport Center.
Impact
NTU supported the deployment of fossil free energy solutions in a number of sectors, particularly freight and passenger transport, contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions, combatting climate change and promoting sustainable development.
This project created catalogues on the application of biodiesel, electricity, gas and hydrogen for freight transport that advance the understanding of new renewable energies and aim at creating a fossil-free Høje Taastrup Transport Center.
