Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

The project was formed following Denmark‚ very ambitious commitments for climate action and greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for 2020 and 2030. Samsø's electricity used to come via an undersea cable from mainland Denmark grid, with coal supplying most of the power. Imported oil shipped from the mainland was the primary heating source for Samsø, homes and businesses, and all land transportation on the island and the sea transportation to and from the island was also fuelled by oil. The island community of circa 3,700 inhabitants of Samsø already in December 1997 decided to become a pilot community and engaged in climate action with a double aim: to prove that a community can become climate leader with community engagement, participation and ownership, and to become a best practice example for other communities around the world. Until today the Samsø community has invested circa $115Mi, an average of $31,000 per inhabitant, and has so far reached 100% net balance of greenhouse gas emissions thanks to renewable energy projects and local ownership. The project continues in the horizon of 2030, targeting all the remaining CO2 emissions, which are mainly from road transport on the island and sea transportation to/from the island. Eventually, Samsø will only use local renewable energy and eliminate the use of all fossil fuels to become completely fossil free by 2030.

How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

The project is about changing mindset at the local level and making the community of the island of Samsø adopt a new paradigm and cover 100% of its energy needs by local renewable energy resources with no use of fossil fuels. By substituting fossil fuels with local renewable energy, Samsø‚ GHG emissions are reduced. So far the island produces renewable energy from:- 11MW of on-shore wind turbines (11x1MW);- 23MW of off-shore wind turbines (10x2.3MW);- four district heating systems of a total capacity of 6.8MW, which burn local biomass from agriculture, namely straw and wood chips;- solar hot water heaters of a surface of 2,500m2, which are used to preheat water for one of the district heating plants;- individual solar hot water heaters on rooftops of homesIt also has the highest number of electric cars per capita in Denmark, which are charged with renewable electricity. These community-owned renewable energy projects have brought Samsø‚ net annual CO2 emissions from 11.2 tons/capita down to zero. Currently there is excess renewable electricity production which compensates for GHG emissions from road transport on the island and sea transportation. The project continues through 2030. New community investments in additional renewable energy capacity will eventually completely substitute the current use of fossil fuels in road transport and sea transportation, which will be eliminated and make The project is about changing mindset at the local level and making the community of the island of Samsø adopt a new paradigm and cover 100% of its energy needs by local renewable energy resources with no use of fossil fuels. By substituting fossil fuels with local renewable energy, Samsø‚ GHG emissions are reduced. So far the island produces renewable energy from:- 11MW of on-shore wind turbines (11x1MW);- 23MW of off-shore wind turbines (10x2.3MW);- four district heating systems of a total capacity of 6.8MW, which burn local biomass from agriculture, namely straw and wood chips;- solar hot water heaters of a surface of 2,500m2, which are used to preheat water for one of the district heating plants;- individual solar hot water heaters on rooftops of homesIt also has the highest number of electric cars per capita in Denmark, which are charged with renewable electricity. These community-owned renewable energy projects have brought Sams√∏‚ net annual CO2 emissions from 11.2 tons/capita down to zero. Currently there is excess renewable electricity production which compensates for GHG emissions from road transport on the island and sea transportation. The project continues through 2030. New community investments in additional renewable energy capacity will eventually completely substitute the current use of fossil fuels in road transport and sea transportation, which will be eliminated and makeThe project is about changing mindset at the local level and making the community of the island of Samsø adopt a new paradigm and cover 100% of its energy needs by local renewable energy resources with no use of fossil fuels. By substituting fossil fuels with local renewable energy, Samsø‚ GHG emissions are reduced. So far the island produces renewable energy from:- 11MW of on-shore wind turbines (11x1MW);- 23MW of off-shore wind turbines (10x2.3MW);- four district heating systems of a total capacity of 6.8MW, which burn local biomass from agriculture, namely straw and wood chips;- solar hot water heaters of a surface of 2,500m2, which are used to preheat water for one of the district heating plants;- individual solar hot water heaters on rooftops of homesIt also has the highest number of electric cars per capita in Denmark, which are charged with renewable electricity. These community-owned renewable energy projects have brought Samsø‚ net annual CO2 emissions from 11.2 tons/capita down to zero. Currently there is excess renewable electricity production which compensates for GHG emissions from road transport on the island and sea transportation. The project continues through 2030. New community investments in additional renewable energy capacity will eventually completely substitute the current use of fossil fuels in road transport and sea transportation, which will be eliminated and make Samsø fossil-free.

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

Being an island, the entire community on Samsø is climate vulnerable. The Energy Academy has been the facilitator of the fossil-free island project and under S√∏ren Hermansen‚ guidance it led the population‚ engagement process. We have learned that the fear of change is generally embedded in people. We know what we have and don‚ t know what‚ in the future. The only way to enable people change their habits and adopt a new mindset is to empower every single citizen be a leader and feel part of the climate action process. To break this human resistance and empower leadership, the Energy Academy invites people in a process where they feel comfortable to talk about the unknown. It organises open public meetings for citizens and stakeholders to present the project, what it would mean for the island, for different stakeholders, for professional groups and for every single citizen. It highlights the potential sufficiency of the island‚ local energy resources and the autonomy from the fossil fuel-based power plant on mainland Denmark, the additional income from co-investing in the project, its pioneering element and uniqueness, the local jobs that are being created from the climate action, the already visible benefits from increased tourism due to the green brand name etc. It also implements campaigns and carries out home visits to advocate for energy efficiency measures in private homes and businesses, with emphasis to the most vulnerable. It explains the financial benefits from the energy consumption reduction and the increase of thermal comfort for citizens to empower them to implement energy efficiency measures in their residences. For the elderly, it informs all pensioner households about the available grants for energy efficiency and renewable energy investments in private homes and offers for free a visit by an energy adviser to discuss with them and answer any questions. Overall, there‚ no doubt about the positive impact the project has for bringing the entire community together under a common vision, and for local employment and people moving back to the island, which has been beneficial for the local economy. The success of this on-going process has made Samsø a brand name worldwide for what a sustainable vision for a community can be and how inclusive community-driven climate action can revive rural areas around the world which face significant challenges, such as population decline, and significantly improve their outlook and optimism for the future.

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