Danish-US partnership to realise California’s green potential

With the purpose of increasing energy-efficient solutions and offshore wind facilities on the coast of California towards 2045, Denmark and the US have agreed to strengthen an already strong partnership with California Energy Commission.

By State of Green | [email protected]

10 February 2023

The Danish Energy Agency and the California Energy Commission signed an agreement to extend their cooperation on energy efficiency and offshore wind energy, which began back in 2017. The new partnership runs until 2024 and will also include new cooperation on Power-to-X.

“Denmark is well ahead with the green transition. Both in regard to political framework and technical capacity. It is important that we share our good experiences with those who emit the most CO2 globally. This is where Denmark can really make a difference in the global green transition. Because, when the green measures around the world are speeded up, it will also create opportunities for Danish companies, which excel in green technology,” says Lars Aagard, Danish Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities.

The United States is among the world’s largest CO2 emitters, but the Biden administration has set ambitious climate goals for the future, in which the state of California plays an important part:

“As one of the largest economies in the world, California is committed to a future with 100% clean energy for all. We are proud to continiously strengthen our efforts on a global level through the renewed agreement with our Danish partners, and I look forward to collaborating in crucial areas such as offshore wind and energy efficiency,” says David Hochschild, California Energy Commission Chairman.

Supporting the land of green opportunities

The US is Denmark’s largest export market and the third largest when it comes to exports of energy technology. The partnership between Denmark and the US began back in 2017, where Danish experiences with energy efficiency and offshore wind are shared to boost the US’ green transition while creating export opportunities for companies specialising in energy technology that contributes to CO2 reductions.

With 1.350 km of coastline, the American west coast holds a great, untapped potential for green energy. The area is estimated to have a total capacity of over 8 GW, which corresponds to power for approx. 4 million American households’ electricity consumption.

In the renewed cooperation, the Danish Energy Agency will help US authorities optimise the legislative framework for offshore wind. Making the processes manageable and lowering risks for investors is crucial in the development of Californian offshore wind, which, due to the great depths of the Pacific Ocean, must be based on new technology in the form of floating wind turbines rather than wind turbines with bottom-fixed foundations.

The collaboration also deals with experiences with developing the necessary infrastructure to utilize wind energy, including developing the electricity grid and the necessary port infrastructure. On the other hand, Denmark can also learn new things from California, for example in relation to floating offshore wind, which is a new, promising area of technology.

The renewed collaboration includes a track to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and energy-intensive industries. This will contribute to achieving California’s goal of CO2 neutrality in 2045.

Facts: The Danish-California energy partnership

Since 2017, The Danish Energy Agency has cooperated with the California Energy Commission on offshore wind and energy efficiency. With the new agreement, the cooperation will also cover Power-to-X.
As part of the Danish-American cooperation, California has raised its goals of creating 10 gigawatts to 25 gigawatts of offshore wind in 2045.
In addition to California, the Danish Energy Agency also cooperates with the states of Virginia, New Jersey and New York.
Denmark has authority cooperation on energy with 24 countries, which together emit 70% of the world’s CO2. In addition, there are a number of national collaborations of shorter duration, e.g. under the scheme Danish Energy Transition Initiative. By building knowledge and capacity in the partner countries’ national authorities, political decision-makers are empowered to make sustainable and cost-effective energy policy decisions that support the global green transition.