An increasing number of international delegations visit Denmark to study the efficient low carbon urban heating and cooling solutions in our cities. They find it interesting, that little Denmark has city-wide district heating, that almost all the CHP potential is utilized, that all waste is utilized 100% for energy and not least that innovative solutions like preinsulated pipes, large-scale solar water heating and large thermal storages are developed in Denmark.
Most cities from other countries have difficulties to plan and implement similar solutions, but the campuses can. Naturally, because campus owners want to find the best and most cost-effective solution for the whole campus including the buildings. Like Danish city councils, they want to plan the best solutions for their urban area.
A good example is the university campuses and the military campuses in the US. Several delegations have visited Ramboll in Denmark to be inspired and we have several assignments to help them.
Therefore, Denmark has an important role in the new IEA project, EBC Annex 73, Towards Net Zero Energy Public Communities, http://www.iea-ebc.org/projects/project?AnnexID=73
Ramboll is partner in the Danish consortium, which has been funded by EUDP in a 3-year project, and we are also participating in the US group of experts in the project. In April 2017 we organized a workshop in Copenhagen and worked on the application for the project.
Shortly after approval of the project, we had our first conference for exchange of experience in Washington DC, December 6, organized by the Energy Branch of US Army Corps of Engineers in co-operation with IDEA.
It was very inspiring for all of us, and I learned the importance of a new criteria for successful planning and design. Energy systems shall be not only low carbon and cost effective, but also resilient.
