The municipality of Thisted in Northwest Jutland, Denmark

Keywords: renewable energy region, 100% renewable energy self sufficiency region, Thisted Municipality, renewable energy in Thisted Municipality.


Thisted Municipality[1] is a municipality in Region Nordjyland, Denmark.[2] The municipality covers area 1,093 km2 and has total population 45,596 inhabitants in 2009.[3] The main town and the site of its municipal council is the town of Thisted.[2]

North Denmark Region or North Jutland Region is an administrative region of Denmark. This region is established on January 1, 2007 as a part of the 2007 Danish municipal reform. This reform replaces the traditional counties with five larger regions. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger units, cut the number of municipalities from 271 to 98. The reform was implemented in Denmark on January 1, 2007.[4]

Figure 1. Thisted Municipality in Denmark[2][4]

On January 1, 2007 a new Thisted Municipality was formed as the result of the Municipal Reform 2007. Merged was done between Hanstholm and Sydthy Municipalities.[2]


Current Status
Thisted is almost 100% renewable energy self-sufficient. The municipality uses less than 1% fossil fuels to produce energy and heat. With twenty years experience with renewable energy sources, the energy and heat consumption is almost exclusively derived from wind, sun, biogas, geothermal plant, incineration of biomass and residual heat from industry. Those various sources provide 100% electricity supplies and 85% heat to the municipality. It means, 90,000 fewer tonnes of CO2 are emitted into the atmosphere.[3]

The municipality has been nominated to be the home of a national test centre for a large wind turbines in 2009. Thisted has received the prestigious European Solar Prize for its renewable energy effort.[3]


Actors Involved in the Development
Citizens, grassroots organizations, and local companies are actively involved in supplying the municipality with renewable energy from private wind turbines, geothermal installations, and biogas plants.[3]


Success Factors
Success factors of Thisted is characterized by the development has been going on in step with local farmers investing many privately owned wind turbines and biogas plant. All of 252 Thisted wind turbines are privately owned. Investing in renewable energy is a good business for farmers, because after 6-7 years they can earn money and sell the energy to the local electricity utility.[3]


Video 1. Clean Energy in Thisted[3]


The electricity utilities and companies in the area have set specific goals for reduction in carbon emissions. Now, the municipality is actively encouraging its citizens, e.g. through the association Energiske Thyboer. The association involves citizens, urges them to work on local renewable energy initiatives. The example is involved in building a biogas plant together with a local farmer or shared heating plant which serves several households. Everyone is welcome to attend citizens meeting and can be involved in developing ideas for new energy solutions by joining working groups. The municipality is providing technical and financial consultancy, and close tabs are being kept on projects to help ensure many of them could take benefit from the result obtained.[3]


Vision
Vision of Thisted Municipality are:[3]
  • become a carbon-neutral pioneer with an international reputation for inducing carbon emission.
  • By new supply energy initiatives, they can take care the environment and create more jobs through energy-based development based on municipality existing commercial activities.


Way to Achieve the Goal
They want to achieve the goal by:[3]
  • a holistic strategy incorporating an overall plan for water, heat and electricity, energy labeling of all public buildings, as well as an overall plan for the operation of collective transport.
  • The Danish government planed to build a new national test centre for 250 meter-high marine wind turbines in Thisted on September 2009.

Information Related


List of References
  1. Thisted Kommune. http://www.thisted.dk/. Accessed April 3, 2010.
  2. Thisted Municipality. http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Thisted_municipality. Accessed April 3, 2010.
  3. Thisted: Almost 100% Sustainable Energy Sources. http://sustainablecities.dk/en/city-projects/cases/thisted-almost-100-sustainable-energy-sources. Accessed January 5, 2010.
  4. Region Nordjylland. http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Region_Nordjylland. Accessed April 3, 2010.
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