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"What many people do not realize is that President
Bush is a very strong advocate for alternative energy,"
said Michael Wood, United States Ambassador to Sweden.
"I have been friends with the President for
years and I can guarantee that he is personally
and passionately concerned about our addiction to
oil." As proof of this, Wood referenced Bush’s
state of the Union address, the increased funding
for clean energy research and the"30/30"
plan, which aims to cut American fossil fuel use
by 30 percent by the year 2030. Scandinavia is on
the forefront of renewable energy and Wood said
that Bush is eager to work closely with our Scandinavian
allies.
Energy has been a key topic of concern in the United
States, fueled by rising energy prices, fear of
global warming, energy security and a dwindling
supply of oil. The President and leading voices
in Congress have expressed a clear readiness to
invest in renewable energy to limit America’s
dependence on foreign sources of energy and loosen
America’s ties to the World’s most unstable
regions. "To avoid world populations getting
in the way of the American dream we need to recapture
our own control over energy policy," said Alexander
Karsner, assistant secretary of Energy Efficiency
and Renewable energy, U.S. Department of Energy.
When it comes to energy, the United State’s
connection with Denmark is vital. "No two countries
are more aligned than the United States and Denmark.
And if we want to maintain our of living now and
in the future, the U.S. needs to focus on energy
independence and take advantage of our friendship
with Denmark," said Karsner.
Denmark’s Minister for Transport and Energy,
Flemming Hansen, could not agree more. "There
are a lot of possibilities for the U.S. and Denmark
to collaborate in the development of alternative
energy sources. The Danish government has invested
heavily in energy research and has been successful
in developing and implementing new technologies."
In the past thirty years, Denmark has gone from
being 99 percent dependent on sources of foreign
oil to becoming completely energy independent. Since
1980, Denmark has had a 50% growth in Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) while its energy use from oil and
gas has flat lined. The United States has not chosen
to put the same effort into clean-energy and alternative
sources of energy, and is now decades behind Denmark.
Denmark’s fame in the development and use
of wind turbines has given this small country global
recognition in the energy market. Denmark is one
of the world’s leading producers of wind turbines,
with almost a 40 percent share of the total world
wide production. "Danish wind technology is
renowned, but there is much more to Denmark’s
success story. We strongly feel that the Danish
energy model and the technologies that underpin
it are well placed in the current debate in the
United States", says Denmark’s Ambassador
to the United States, Friis Arne Petersen. Denmark’s
strategy for success in the development of renewable
energy comes from their diverse areas achievement.
"Denmark has a holistic approach to energy
and has made tremendous progress throughout the
energy grid," said Karsner. In fact, bio energy,
not wind, is Denmark’s largest sustainable
energy source - currently producing 70 percent of
renewable energy consumption in Denmark. The use
of biomass in Denmark nearly tripled between 1980
and 2002 and it is expected rise due to a Danish
policy requiring an increase use of straw and chips
at co-generation plants.
Biofuels, fuels that are derived from biomass, have
become increasingly attractive. Bill Gates has recently
invested $84 million in an American ethanol company,
Global energy enthusiasts are setting long-term
targets for the switch to biofuels, potentially
offering a secure domestic source of renewable energy
and fewer environmental headaches. Ethanol is quickly
making its way into gas tanks around the world.
"In the past few years ethanol use has doubled,"
said Samantha Slater Director of Congressional &
Regulatory Affairs for the Renewable fuels association.
"Currently, 46 percent of all gasoline in the
U.S. has some sort of ethanol," said Slater.
This is all good news for Danish owned companies
Novozymes and Genecor which produces close to 90
percent of the enzymes used for current ethanol
production worldwide. The Danish government continues
to encourage Danish companies to develop competences
in biofuel, having recently granted approximately
40 million dollars to biofuel research.
The developments in renewable energy made by Denmark
give the world hope for the future. Denmark has
shown us that production of renewable energy is
possible and is the key to a strong economic future.
"Technology, economics, and opportunity are
all on our side, the only thing that is against
us is time," said Karsner.
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DENMARK
