Denmark Academy tasks Africa on green energy transition

The Project Coordinator at Samsø Energy Academy, Denmark, Michael Christensen has advised Nigeria and other developing countries to invest more in renewable energy to expand their energy access and drive economic growth.

Christensen made the call in an interview with in Samsø, Copenhagen on the sideline of a climate change training organised by the Danida Fellowship Centre for some selected African journalists.

Samsø is an Island in Denmark powered 100 per cent by renewable energy with 21 offshore and onshore wind turbines, local biomass-fuelled district heating plants, solar panels among others.

Christensen said that the renewable energy project started about 20 years ago and the Island is now fully powered by green energy.

“In the last 20 years we have been working on this project on renewable energy here on Samsø, where we are looking at electricity production from wind turbines.

“We also have district heating plants that are providing all the houses over here with heat and hot water and we try to have this overall energy plan on how can we implement renewable energy in not only a sustainable way, but also earning money while doing it,” he said.

The energy advisor said the old turbines on the Island’s wind farm produces about 2.4 million kilowatts hour per year, while stressing the economic benefit of the project to residents of the island.

“This is a 1 Megabytes wind turbine that is a little more than 20 years old. It makes 2.4 million kilowatt hours per year. And the payback time was about six years. And it has been up and running for more than 20 years now.

“So it has earned itself back three or four times. We have 11, 1 megabytes , we have ten 2.3 offshore winter bytes.

“Actually, the project that we have done on market trips. So you could actually take our idea and do it all over the world,” he said.