Energy City Frederikshavn – Local Energy Agency

Energy City Frederikshavn – or Energibyen Frederikshavn – is working towards the goal of a municipality 100% powered by local renewable energy by 2030. In 2015, Frederikshavn has cut its annual greenhouse gas emissions by 15.5% (the 2007 set goal was a 3% decrease annually). The local energy agency facilitates and coordinates the development of local projects to make renewable energy synonymous with green growth. Since 2021, the local energy agency has been enacting its 1.5 °C climate action plan, submitted and approved by the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy.

Create green growth from energy transition

To achieve its ambition by 2030, the locality supports a multi-energy mix plan based on four renewable sources: wind, biomass, waste and waves. Energy City Frederikshavn believes that the energy transition will be beneficial for local employment and economic growth. Therefore, it facilitates the implementation of renewable energy technologies on the territory. For instance, the municipality is currently testing a wave plant prototype made by the small local company, Crestwing. Another project is an offshore test site of wind turbines.

‘Energy is a prioritised growth track in Frederikshavn Municipality,’ according to Bo Niebuhr, Head of Department, Ejendomscenteret, Frederikshavn Municipality in 2016. At the European scale, the agency is working with Energy Cities to facilitate the European project INNOVATE. The project helps cooperative housing associations and homeowners’ associations to renovate private houses. It provides social and economic benefits for many people and the community, as each renovation project creates jobs.

Frederikshavn informs and invests to get citizens involved in the transition

To achieve energy neutrality, the municipality needs to involve its stakeholders. The municipality has already led several initiatives to foster citizen participation. But the locality needs to cut its housing emissions and to improve homes’ energy efficiency. For this, Frederikshavn Municipality’s Property Centre will invest DKK 4.5 million annually from 2021 to 2030 in energy-saving measures, such as house renovation and energy initiatives.

Through word of mouth, Energy City Frederikshavn Municipality hopes to achieve its climate transition and create a snowball effect in the local community. The local energy agency also shares information and tools on its website. Energibyen Frederikshavn also conducts citizen energy initiatives and optimisation projects.

Frederikshavn also launched My Energy City. Led by 20 committed citizens from all walks of life, the committee aims to raise awareness on climate transition and in citizen participation. Many of the green ambassadors in the group started out on their own, with small steps – like picking up cans along the side of the road – and have built up to big decisions.

Sources: Bahram Dehghan, chief consultant, Energy City Frederikshavn Municipality; Frederikshavn Climate plan (approved by C40 and European Covenant of Mayors) and Projekt catalogue; News from the official website of the local agency; Energy Cities’ publication ‘Local governance from A to Z’ (2015)