Combined Heat and Power in Copenhagen Copenhagen’s CHP system supplies 97% of the city with clean, reliable and affordable heating and 15% of Denmark’s heating needs. It was set up in 1984 as a partnership between local councils and energy companies. It uses a combination of: – Waste heat from electricity production (normally released into the sea or rivers but now taken through pipes to peoples’ homes) – Surplus heat from waste incineration – Geothermal energy – Bio-fuels (wood pellets and straw) – Small amounts of natural gas, oil and coal. Results: – By 2005, annual household heating bills in Copenhagen were 1400 Euros less than if oil had been used for heating. – Between , the city’s annual CO2 emissions dropped from 3.5 million tonnes to 2.5 million tonnes – SO2 emissions have been cut by 33%

CHP Success? It is clean Low CO2 emissions from natural gas and bio fuels Nitrogen oxides are removed from gas It is cheap CHP is cheaper when compared with other forms of energy. Annual costs for consumers are 50% less than oil heating It is efficient It wastes only 6% if the energy generated The system is computer-controlled so that excess heat in one area can be re-directed to another area when it has greater demand Tax incentives The Danish government gave tax incentives to the energy companies involved so that they pay less tax if they use CHP X Still reliant on the use of natural gas X Seasonal demand for energy cannot always be met.

Nuclear Energy Cheap gas supplies from the North Sea are running low and overseas oil and gas prices have risen rapidly since 2004 In 2006, 20% of the UK’s electricity was generated by Nuclear power, but most nuclear power stations are too old to be efficient and safe; most were built in the 1970s. All but one power station will close by 2023 with no new ones planned. The only remaining nuclear power station will the Sizewell B plant in Suffolk and will produce 4% of the UK’s electricity. Advantages: – Well-constructed nuclear power plants are very clean – Nuclear fuel provides more energy than equivalent fossil fuels; One 2cm nuclear fuel pellet of uranium or plutonium produces the same amount of electricity as 1.5 tonnes of coal – Nuclear fuel produces far lower greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels Disadvantages: – Mining uranium is dirty with added danger from radioactivity – Nuclear waste is radioactive for many thousands of years – No known safe way to store or dispose of nuclear waste – Transporting nuclear fuel can be risky, particularly in times of terrorism – Almost all nuclear accidents can be traced to human error; no technology is mistake free

Afforestation for Carbon Sequestration and Offsetting Information Trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere during photosynthesis; CO2 is stored in vegetation and soil. This is called carbon sequestration. Forests and woodlands cover 10% of the UK. Several UK and EU schemes allow individuals and business to offset their carbon emissions by planting trees. This is calculated by using an estimation of how much carbon can be sequestered over the lifetime of a forest which is then used as ‘carbon credit’ against emissions. Advantages Sustainable “think global, act local”- people at the local scale can plant trees have a global impact by reducing CO2 in the atmosphere Strategically planted trees can reduce flooding by limiting surface runoff. The Tree Council is the UK's lead charity for trees, promoting their importance in a changing environment.

Disadvantages There is a limit to the amount of carbon a forest can sequester In the UK, 4 million tonnes of carbon is removed from the atmosphere by forests; the UK’s forests are relatively young, but over time the capacity for the amount of carbon that forests can sequester falls. The UK emits 150 million tonnes of carbon each year, so forests only 3% of the CO2 emissions are actually offset by forests. Carbon offsetting using afforestation should therefore be combined with other strategies to reduce emissions Afforestation for Carbon Sequestration and Offsetting

Using Renewable Energy Sources Information There are many sources of renewable energy including: Wind, hydropower, solar and geothermal. Advantages Sustainable ‘Clean energy’; CO2 is not emitted during energy production Can be widely distributed to users Often do not take up a large area of land; wind turbines can be located offshore (i.e. Out to sea); hydropower can be small scale; solar panels can be fitted to houses so individuals can produce own electricity and sell back their excess to the national grid; geothermal is naturally occurring Disadvantages Can have high start-up costs Some countries unsuitable for certain types of energy e.g. Solar power in the UK can be limited by regular cloud cover Geothermal energy can only be harnessed where there is a natural source e.g. At plate boundaries (although more advanced drilling techniques are opening up opportunities for greater access to geothermal energy) Significant controversy over the ‘invasive visual nature’ of wind farms e.g. proposed 66m tall wind turbine at Woodborough Park Farm near Calverton and Woodborough