As the first consumer-owned district heating company in Denmark, Skanderborg-Hørning Fjernvarme A.m.b.a has signed an agreement with the geothermal energy company Innargi A/S about researching the potential for developing geothermal energy for district heating. The goal is to make district heating in Skanderborg and Hørning even more sustainable and to secure low, stable energy prices in the future.
“Today, we only use locally produced, certified biomass. And we will also do that in the future, but we need to burn less and be less dependent on the price of biomass. Therefore, we wish for geothermal energy to be an important source for our district heating. Geothermal energy is a climate friendly, local, and very price stable source of heating able to deliver 24/7 and 365 days a year.”
“This enterprise fits nicely into the city council’s goals of phasing out the use of biomass as fuel and instead replace it with 100 pct renewable and sustainable energy sources for the heating supply. Geothermal energy is independent of the season and is in that way both a stable and sustainable source of heating – even during the winter. Naturally, that is why we support and hope for the initial investigation to show positive results.”
“We need to connect the networks in Hørning and Skanderborg if we are to secure a sufficient foundation for geothermal energy. When you are directly owned by the consumers, you get a lot of comments while at your local supermarket now that heating prices are a hot topic. We are well off in Skanderborg and Hørning. And we need to be that in the future as well – that is why we are taking the initiative now.”
“Usually, you would need a certain size for geothermal energy to be a competitive option. The more wells to drill and plants to build, the cheaper the heating price. However, the projects in the big metropolitan areas enable the district heating networks of nearby smaller cities to make use of a local resource in the form of geothermal energy. That is why I believe that many more district heating companies – and therefore also heating customers – will gain access to geothermal energy in the coming years.”
For additional information, please contact:
Peter Jensen, CEO, Skanderborg-Hørning Fjernvarme no.: 2089 1305.
Asbjørn Haugstrup, Chief Communication and Public Affairs Officer, Innargi no.: 2672 9421.
Pictures
Illustrations of geothermal plants can be downloaded via these links:
Images from the launch in Skanderborg can be downloaded here.