Denmark is a leader within research and development throughout the entire value chains for the utilisation of biomass and organic waste residues for energy production. Danish competencies within bioenergy technologies are much in demand and Denmark serves as a perfect industry hub and live testing ground for modern bioenergy technologies combined with a favourable public funding framework.

Today, approximately 70 % of renewable energy consumption in Denmark stems from biomass. For the future and according to the national transition plans, Danish consumption of biomass will continue to  grow bringing biobased heat, power and fuels to the market to replace fossil fuels. The challenges connected to a cost effective conversion of the energy system calls for the development of new and approved bioenergy technologies and thus this will be adressed under the comprehensive Danish energy R&D programmes that covers the entire range from applied research to demonstration in full scale.

Green gasses balancing wind and solar

Consumption of natural gas is expected to fall dramatically from 2020, as natural gas is phased out in electricity and heat supply. Instead, it will increasingly be possible to use the gas system to distribute renewable energy gases such as upgraded biobased gases. Furthermore the gas grid has a large storage capacity that can serve to balance the fluctuating wind and solar energy production. Thus new technologies for the production of green gases based on biomass and combined with the utilisation of excess power production from wind and solar producing for instance hydrogen, has
one of the highest priorities for the Danish &D programmes.

Green fuels for transportation and biorefining

Denmark is among the world’s leading developers of enzymes for production of 2nd-generation bioethanol. And steady progress is being made in the development of biorefinery technologies to  replace products currently based on fossil fuels with biorefined products. The further development of biological as well as termo-chemical routes for the production of 2nd generation and advanced liquid biofuels and building blocks for green chemicals and materials is another focus area for the national R&D efforts.

State-of-the-art facilities and international partnering

Both companies, universities and public funding programmes in Denmark are very open towards strategic collaborations with foreign investors,  companies and research institutions. Due to the strong foundation and long-standing tradition for continuous research and development, Denmark is the ideal place for bioenergy activities in this field. Particularly production and test facilities, demonstration plants and R&D centres have excellent conditions. Collaboration with Danish bioenergy companies and academia gives access to a dynamic and internationally oriented network that understands high-tech energy solutions.