Ærø’s electric ferry E-ferry Ellen has once again been awarded for demonstrating that it is indeeed possible to sail 100% emission free, also on longer regional ferry routes. This makes Ærø Municipality the recipient of this year’s national Energy Globe Award. Two and a half years after commissioning the electric ferry, Ellen is still the ferry sailing the longest in between charging in the world.

Energy Globe Award

The Energy Globe Award is one of the world’s most prestigious sustainability awards, and as such, Ærø is proud to be the recipient of the national edition of the prize. Every year, the award committee has prominent people on the jury, and this was also the case this year, where Maneka Gandhi, of the world known Gandhi family, signed the certificate as the chairman of the jury.

On Energy Globe’s website, the jury writes that the politicians of Ærø municipality have set very ambitious climate goals which the electric ferry Ellen plays a huge part in accomplishing.

In August 2021, the municipal council decided that the island’s municipally run ferries were to be replaced with new sustainable vessels by 2035. The commission of Ellen has shown that it is possible to sail the municipally run routes with environmentally beneficial alternatives, without sacrificing the service for its passengers. Ellen even sails the route between Søby and Fynshav 10 minutes faster than the old diesel-powered ferry.

The award was celebrated at Ærø Energylab, the energy office of the municipality

Because of Covid-19, there will not be held an official Danish ceremony for the award. Instead, Ærø chose to host an unofficial ceremony at Ærø Energylab, the energy office of the commune. Members of The Committee on Sustainable Energy participated in the celebration, alongside Cecilie Larsen and Halfdan Abrahamsen from Ærø Energylab, who wrote and submitted the application for the Energy Globe Award.

In the picture included in the press release, the statuette which Ærø won in 2001 is also present. Ærø won the international prize for the island’s use of solar energy in its district heating systems.

Ærø has won multiple prizes and awards since commissioning the electric ferry Ellen

With the E-ferry Ellen, Ærø Municipality and the Ærø Ferries have won a Danish Design Award, a European Solar Prize and now an Energy Globe Award. Additionally, Ærø was named as the most energy responsible island in Europe in 2020. The award was given by the EU Commission, and with the award came a cash prize of 500.000 Euro.