The EU Commission has approved the so-called EcoGrid EU contract. This means that all obstacles have been removed to in a few years make Bornholm home the world's first working intelligent full-scale electricity system.
- The EU project application was ready in March 2010, and the signature is the final milestone in the planning phase of the project. 16 European partners are waiting in the wings. They are ready to start the exciting work of making Born-holm the world's first absolute prototype of the future electricity system, head of Environment R&D at Energinet.dk, Kim Behnke, explains. He has been the initia-tor of the project and together with the other partners he stands behind the application to the EU.
The intelligent electricity system on Bornholm will be based on more than 50 per cent RE with particular emphasis on wind power, biomass and photovoltaics. Flexible electricity consumption and automatically controlled electricity appliances will be an entirely integrated part of the life of the natives of Bornholm.
Minister for Climate and Energy, Lykke Friis, who is a strong advocate of the intelligent electricity system, is very enthusiastic about the project.
- EcoGrid EU is an incredibly promising pilot project, in which Bornholm will become a test island in the future intelligent electricity system. The results will not only be usable in Denmark and Europe, but all over the world. We need an intelligent electricity system which can integrate more wind power and other RE sources. In order to make the set-up work in the future, it is necessary to turn all resources in regional grids into active players, exactly as it will happen in Bornholm, Lykke Friis says.
On Bornholm up to a tenth of all households will be involved in the EcoGrid EU project which is expected to be completed by spring 2015. At that time the island will be able to use more than 50 per cent RE and where the flexibility of the electricity customers will for real be an asset to the electricity system.
EcoGrid EU has a total budget of EUR 21 m, and EU has with the contract been under obligation to contribute with DKK 100 m, which makes more than half of the budget.