Since green energy is a scarce resource, we must use it wisely, so that it puts as little strain on the energy system as possible. It increases the energy efficiency of the energy system and provides the cheapest and greenest energy consumption.
Sector integration is the final main lever in decarbonizing our energy system because it makes it possible to reuse the rejected and otherwise wasted energy.
It might sound a bit technical. But more importantly, sector integration is about people and partnerships – working together and maximizing synergies between sectors, connecting energy consumers with energy producers, and converting and storing energy.
The Sønderborg area is collaboratively developing an integrated energy system across various sectors. This enables us to optimize the utilization of excess heat by incorporating it into our district heating network. The anticipated outcome is that by 2029, up to 40 percent of our district heating will be sourced from surplus heat.
Sector integration has 3 development phases which complement each other and gradually create better opportunities for green energy consumption in society: Reuse excess heat, electrification, and Power-to-X on renewable energy.
One of the key challenges in decarbonizing our grid and increasing electrification is ensuring that supply matches demand. By looking at the energy system holistically and linking different energy sources, sector integration allows for flexible use of power. It enables discrepancies in supply and demand to be evened out so we can exploit the full capacity of the grid. Balancing the peaks will be particularly important as we increase the use of renewables and electrification takes pace.
Digitalization is the intelligent glue that moves renewable energy, streamline, and reduces energy consumption across sectors – making the decarbonization cheaper.