Denmark plans backup capacity to come from hydrogen and storage

Once Denmark achieves its 2030 target of being 100 per cent powered by renewables, the plan is to have backup capacity from hydrogen and energy storage, according to Hanne Storm Edlefsen, Vice President of Energy Islands at Energinet.

At the moment, 50 per cent of Denmark’s power system comes from renewable energy and there are days when everything is powered by only wind and solar power, however, backup capacity currently comes from oil or gas and a bit of coal.

During a press trip to Denmark that Offshore Energy and offshoreWIND.biz attended at the end of June, Edlefsen said that the target was to achieve 100 per cent green power by 2030, with the plan including hydrogen and storage as backup.

In addition, Denmark aims to have no coal in the mix by 2028 and to stop extracting oil and gas from the North Sea entirely by 2050.

However, Edlefsen noted that hydrogen costs and that the plan is to reuse the natural gas system as hydrogen infrastructure as much as possible.

Hydrogen and ammonia might also be a longer-term option for the Danish energy islands, but not in the short term. Namely, the yet-to-be-built artificial North Sea energy island might include 0.8 GW for hydrogen overplanting, the Energinet VP said.

Energinet last month signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Polish natural gas transmission system operator (TSO) GAZ-SYSTEM to cooperate to ensure a secure and continuous supply of natural gas through the Baltic Pipe gas pipeline and development in new areas related to low and zero-carbon energy sources, including biomethane and hydrogen.

To remind, Energinet and Evida were selected by the Danish government to own and operate the backbone of the country’s future hydrogen infrastructure.

In April, the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) launched the world-first tender for Power-to-X (PtX) projects, making available DKK 1.25 billion (approximately €167.7 million) in state support for the production of PtX in the form of green hydrogen.

According to the Tender Conditions document, DEA and the Danish government are looking to achieve the cheapest and largest amount of green hydrogen production within budget.

Just a few days ago, a new executive order came into force in Denmark that makes it possible to issue guarantees of origin for hydrogen, meaning that PtX actors can market and show that they trade in green hydrogen and use green hydrogen in their processes.

Speaking about cross-border cooperation on hydrogen, Denmark in March signed a cooperation agreement with Germany on green hydrogen and the integration of their energy systems.

The government also recently concluded a Heads of Agreement (HoA) with the governments of South Africa and the Netherlands to launch a new innovative blended finance fund that will facilitate and accelerate the development of a green hydrogen sector and circular economy in South Africa.