4 THE RoLE oF HoUSEHoLDS IN DANISH ENERGY PoLICY …
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energy consumption has been relatively stagnant. Both population and
living standards have increased, implying increased car ownership, more
square metres per person, more appliances, more leisure travel, etc. In
addition—and not included in these accounts—part of the energy consumption related to improved living standards has been outsourced to
other countries as part of globalization.
The top priority of Danish energy policy is currently to reduce carbon emissions. All parties in Parliament agreed in 2018 on the goal
that Denmark should be carbon neutral in 2050. This means that carbon can only be emitted if the emissions are compensated by a similar
uptake in soil or forests or through technologies that capture and store
carbon. This Energy Agreement includes measures to reduce emissions
from the energy sector and energy-intensive industrial plants (covered by
the EU Emissions Trading System, ETS), for instance, the establishment
of offshore wind farms and other investments in wind, solar power and
biogas. 3 However, little is included to reduce emissions from the sectors
that are not covered by ETS, such as transport, agriculture and buildings. These issues are due to be dealt with in separate agreements, but
the challenge is tough due to substantial political disagreements.
In the long term, the extensive use of biomass for energy purposes
is problematic because the land use competes with food production and
the protection of biodiversity. Presently, the proposed solution is electrification of mobility and heating, based on electricity from wind and solar
power. Households are encouraged to buy electric cars and to replace
remaining oil burners with heat pumps, and the local CHP or heat plants
are encouraged to invest in large heat pumps instead of using biomass.
While some steps towards electrification have been taken, much remains
to be done. one incentive for electrification has been the reduction
of electricity tariffs, but this measure also has the unintended effect of
reducing an incentive for energy savings. To avoid this rebound, electric cars and heat pumps would have to be promoted more effectively
by targeted measures. If electrification succeeds, the need for wind and
solar power will increase more than corresponding to the planned investments. Furthermore, the demand for increased capacity is amplified, as
Denmark presently attracts large data centres because the high share of
wind power serves to legitimize electricity use.
3 https://efkm.dk/ministeriet/aftaler-og-politiske-udspil/energiaftalen/.
39
energy consumption has been relatively stagnant. Both population and
living standards have increased, implying increased car ownership, more
square metres per person, more appliances, more leisure travel, etc. In
addition—and not included in these accounts—part of the energy consumption related to improved living standards has been outsourced to
other countries as part of globalization.
The top priority of Danish energy policy is currently to reduce carbon emissions. All parties in Parliament agreed in 2018 on the goal
that Denmark should be carbon neutral in 2050. This means that carbon can only be emitted if the emissions are compensated by a similar
uptake in soil or forests or through technologies that capture and store
carbon. This Energy Agreement includes measures to reduce emissions
from the energy sector and energy-intensive industrial plants (covered by
the EU Emissions Trading System, ETS), for instance, the establishment
of offshore wind farms and other investments in wind, solar power and
biogas. 3 However, little is included to reduce emissions from the sectors
that are not covered by ETS, such as transport, agriculture and buildings. These issues are due to be dealt with in separate agreements, but
the challenge is tough due to substantial political disagreements.
In the long term, the extensive use of biomass for energy purposes
is problematic because the land use competes with food production and
the protection of biodiversity. Presently, the proposed solution is electrification of mobility and heating, based on electricity from wind and solar
power. Households are encouraged to buy electric cars and to replace
remaining oil burners with heat pumps, and the local CHP or heat plants
are encouraged to invest in large heat pumps instead of using biomass.
While some steps towards electrification have been taken, much remains
to be done. one incentive for electrification has been the reduction
of electricity tariffs, but this measure also has the unintended effect of
reducing an incentive for energy savings. To avoid this rebound, electric cars and heat pumps would have to be promoted more effectively
by targeted measures. If electrification succeeds, the need for wind and
solar power will increase more than corresponding to the planned investments. Furthermore, the demand for increased capacity is amplified, as
Denmark presently attracts large data centres because the high share of
wind power serves to legitimize electricity use.
3 https://efkm.dk/ministeriet/aftaler-og-politiske-udspil/energiaftalen/.