COLLABORATion WITH SOCIETY

The continued electrification of Danish society will require a significant expansion of the transmission infrastructure for transport of electricity in relation to the current facilities. Regardless of the exact way in which the development will go. Electric vehicles and heat pumps must be supplied with electricity.

However, increased sector coupling and international collaboration on large-scale offshore wind power in the North Sea can contribute to ensuring that there will be fewer extra overhead lines in the Danish landscape in the future than what would otherwise be needed in the green transition of the Danish energy system.

New technologies, new market solutions and digitalisation must make it possible to utilise renewable energy optimally throughout the energy system. In addition, increased focus on research and innovation is key to ensuring Energinet’s contribution to the development of the energy solutions of tomorrow. Solutions which are suitable for a significantly more complex and dynamic energy system, the final structure of which no one yet knows.

In the long term, the technological developments may make it possible to place a greater part of the infrastructure underground. However, this is uncertain and cannot solve the entire problem. Visible infrastructure will be part of the green transition, also in future.

Opportunities

The experience with establishment of new overhead lines in recent years has shown that, although there is great support for the green transition, there is increasing opposition to the necessary infrastructure.

This is not surprising, as natural values and people’s housing conditions are significant and legitimate concerns which Energinet attaches great importance to including. It is all the more important that we find the best ways of engaging in public participation and ensuring good trade-offs for all legitimate reasons. Without infrastructure, renewable energy cannot be fully utilised, and Denmark and the rest of the world will not achieve the objective of the climate-neutral society.

This makes it important that we realise optimally the opportunities for a more wide understanding of the necessity of the infrastructure in the green transition. This may be achieved by increasing public knowledge of Energinet and our role and by ensuring a closer dialogue with decision-makers and citizens.

As described above, the development of energy solutions which contribute to slowing down climate change and which are also in harmony with our society’s and citizens’ living conditions will also require significantly increased focus on research, innovation and development. Such significantly increased focus entails costs, risks and increased allocation of resources to these areas. With increased resource consumption follows increased responsibility for efficient use of these resources.