Decentralised Energy in Denmark

Decentralised energy generation is widespread and mainstream in many European countries, most notably Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden. A decentralised approach makes best use of resources by locating power stations where there is demand, so that energy is generated close to the point of use and both heat and power can be utilised locally. Generating heat and power together increases the value of the fuel enormously.For example the overall production capacity of the two Avedøre Power Station units, a CHP plant, is 810 Megawatts of electricity and 915 MJ/s of heat. Avedøre Power Station’s Unit 1 primarily uses coal, while Avedøre Power Station’s Unit 2 can use a wide variety of fuels: natural gas, oil, straw and wood pellets. Avedøre Power Station’s Unit 2 has facilities consisting of several parts. These parts combined make record-high use of the energy in the fuels. By simultaneously generating heat and electricity, Avedøre Power Station’s Unit 2 utilises as much as 94 % of the energy in the fuels and has an electrical efficiency of 49 %, making the unit one of the most efficient in the world.