ON THE BRINK OF THE BIG HYDROGEN BREAKTHROUGH Denmark’s Energy Metropolis of Esbjerg welcomes several P ower-to- X facilities producing hydrogen, and exciting prospects have emerged as excess heat from the production can be used for residential heating. Mayor Jesper Frost Rasmussen welcomes the new possibilities.
Two of the P ower-to- X companies will turn electricity into hy-drogen. Hydrogen is an important energy source, and its po-tential must be applied appropriately for us to harvest the benefits. In the future, the p ower-to- h ydrogen facilities could play an important role as an integral part of future energy production. By using green renewable energy to produce hydrogen, companies have a product that can be stored, and, in the future, hydrogen from Esbjerg will be used as fuel in trucks and other heavy land-based transport. The process of converting power to hydrogen produces a lot of excess heat, which could be used by the district heating system. Technically, we are at a point where it is possible to recover waste heat from hydrogen production without nega- tively impacting production, and it is also economically attrac- tive. With flexible and intelligent district heating, this may be an integral part of the business model, which the P ower- to- X companies rely on. Combined heat and hydrogen solutions stand as the most vi- able answer. Especially if it is possible to locate hydrogen pro- duction facilities in connection with district heating network developments near cities, and as a municipality, we can influ- ence these decisions. Obviously, this also improves the financial side of these projects, and the surplus heat is very much in demand due to the in- ternational political climate. It makes perfect sense to develop these innovative solutions, and it is what future generations will demand of us that we design the most energy-efficient solu- tions to reduce the impact on the climate and the environment.
In Esbjerg, the energy transition is very apparent. At the Port of Esbjerg, rows upon rows of towers for offshore wind turbines wait to be shipped. More than 4.000 offshore wind turbines have passed through Esbjerg, and the port has played a key role in installing offshore wind in Denmark and other Europe- an countries. Simultaneously, Esbjerg’s municipality has ambitious goals to become carbon neutral by 2030. This can only be achieved through strong alliances with partners which commit to this goal. Fortunately, both the Port of Esbjerg and the utility com- pany, DIN Forsyning, have entered into a climate partnership with the municipality to achieve the zero-emission goal. These are exciting times, not least because DIN Forsyning is constructing the district heating system for the future by im- plementing a hybrid modular solution. By creating sector cou- pling to existing and future business sectors DIN Forsyning and district heating play a key role in supporting the city’s develop- ment. Undoubtedly, the district heating system is at the core of our green transition, and new solutions open new doors that could help us on the journey to carbon neutrality. But let’s zoom in on the large wind turbines. At sea, they produce renewable energy, and onshore several new P ower- to- X companies are interested in using the electricity. No fewer than three P ower-to- X facilities will be built in Esbjerg, and more could be on the way. Esbjerg’s location and infrastructure and our commitment to energy transition attract companies dedicated to the green transition and the possibilities this creates.
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