New Report Reveals The Most Energy-Intensive Industries In Denmark
In a new report, based on the newest Danish statistics, Thea Gehrchen from GreenMatch.dk has summed up just how much energy the different industries in Denmark consume, which comes in quite handy while we wait for our new government to release a new proposal for a national climate law for the country, with binding targets no less. I asked Thea if she would help translate the very nice graphics she had made in the report so that they could be used to inspire CleanTechnica’s readers.
I for one was surprised by some of the findings. It turns out that 3 large sectors of industries in Denmark consume 67% of the energy total. So, apart from planning to increase the capacity of renewable energy and expanding the grid to cope with it, maybe there is something to be said about energy efficiency in these particular groups? Indeed there is. Let’s have a look at the numbers.
Plastic, Glass, & Concrete
The plastics and rubber industries produce finished plastic and rubber products and deliver to other industries. Larger items such as building supplies, as well as larger plastic tanks and containers are also being produced. Within the glass and ceramics industry, the focus is on the manufacture of glass for various products such as drinking glasses, bottles, and more. In addition, ceramic insulators and insulating parts are also manufactured.
The concrete and brickwork industry manufactures bricks, tiles, and cement. This industry is thus large in the construction market and manufactures a lot of basic materials for use in construction. Concrete production is one of the main energy consumers here, but an interesting plan is underway at one of the country’s largest plants, Aalborg Portland. Apart from providing heating for large parts of the city, they will provide cooling too. So-called circular cooperation is in play, and it goes to show that when industries communicate, waste is minimized.
Food, Beverage, & Tobacco
According to stopspildafmad.dk in Denmark, more than 700,000 tonnes of food is wasted each year that could in fact have been eaten instead. Household food waste amounts to 260,000 tonnes per year. In the service sector, there is an annual food waste of 227,000 tonnes, of which 163,000 tonnes is from retail, 29,000 tonnes from hotels and restaurants, and 31,000 tonnes from institutions and large kitchens every single year. Food waste from primary production amounts to 100,000 tonnes per year, while the food industry accounts for an annual food waste of 133,000 tonnes.
Although a lot is actually being done in this area, it’s still far from enough. Personally I think it’s a disgrace that high tech industrialized countries fail to address this issue fully. As I write this, my friends in Zambia are running out of food due to a failed rain season, while their government quarrels about how to execute relief programs. We have to do better. And we haven’t even touched on the subject of using crops for vehicle fuels.
Oil Refineries, Etc.
Summary
All the Danish industries in this report consume just short of 100,000 Terajoules per year, or 28 Terawatt Hours, which happens to be the amount of energy our sun delivers to earth’s land surface in about 4 seconds! Assuming half of earth’s 148,939,063 square km of land surface receives on average 1.05 Gigawatt of solar energy at noon in cloudless weather, averaging 23,000 Terawatt globally at any given point in time, when clouds, dawn, and dusk are taken into account (Please correct me if this crude calculation is wrong).
The top 3 consumers are responsible for 25.6%, 24.1%, and 17.3%, and then there is quite a way down to 4th place with 7.4%.
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