Electricity consumption in the district heating sector has increased fivefold since 2019, while total electricity consumption in Denmark has only increased by 9.3 percent. District heating thus accounts for 61 percent of the increasing electrification in the country. This is according to Dansk Fjernvarme, which is satisfied with the sector's own efforts, but not with society's electrification efforts.
- It is an eye-opener that district heating is currently driving electrification in Denmark as the biggest driver of increasing electricity consumption. We see this, among other things, because there is a great incentive for district heating companies to send heat to consumers that is future-proof and comes from renewable energy, says Søren Lorenz Søndergaard, chief consultant at Dansk Fjernvarme.
The Danish Energy Agency estimates that 98 percent of new district heating production plants up to 2028 will be electricity-based, and that the share will increase further. In 2024, electricity covered 10 percent of of district heating production, while forecasts point to 54 pct. in 2035.
Need for more green energy
However, Danish District Heating points out that electricity production is not keeping up with consumption, and that this could threaten the green transition. The organization is therefore calling for increased expansion of the electricity grid and an acceleration of the installation of wind turbines in Denmark.
- If there is no more Danish electricity production, we risk that rising electricity prices will bring electrification to a standstill. Danish District Heating's members alone are facing a quadrupling of electricity consumption over the next 10 years, and in addition there will only be more data centers, electric cars and PtX, which will also need large amounts of electricity, says Søren Lorez Søndergaard.
If electricity production does not increase, Danish District Heating warns, rising electricity prices risk slowing electrification. The organization's members are expected to quadruple their electricity consumption over the next ten years, while data centers, electric cars, and PtX projects will all require large amounts of power.
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