Danish Crown heats Denmark through biomass
It may be hard to imagine right now, but the heating season is almost upon us, and Danes must gradually get used to the idea of turning up their radiators again. Few people probably know that Danish Crown helps to keep houses and flats warm in Denmark.
All Danish Crown slaughterhouses supply biomass which is used to generate heating and electricity at eleven biogas-fired plants. The biomass consists primarily of manure and saw dust from lorries, stomach and intestinal content from slaughtered animals and sludge.
In the last financial year, a total of 3,267,000 cubic metres of biogas was produced from such waste. This corresponds to the annual heating consumption of almost 800 households. Moreover, electricity is also generated from the waste. And it makes good sense, according to Danish Crown’s Environmental Manager.
”It is, in fact, a win-win situation. Out of something which would otherwise be classified as waste, we produce energy. And what remains after that is used for soil improvement”, says Charlotte Thy, Environmental Manager at Danish Crown.
In addition to helping people to keep warm, the slaughterhouses are also helping to reduce CO2 emissions – and thereby to meet the Danish climate targets. ”Biogas is replacing natural gas and thereby fossil fuels. This means that biogas is a CO2-neutral source of energy”, says Charlotte Thy.
Danish Crown’s Environmental Department is in charge of liaising with the biogas plants and also for negotiating individual contract. Most plants are large jointly operated biogas plants, but partners also include a couple of small farm-based units.
Related website
• Danish Crown
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