Towards an Energy Community on Orø: The Role of Thermal Networks, Local Electricity Sharing and Local Engagement in a Small Island's Energy Transition
Author
Køhler, Amanda
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2026
Abstract
This thesis explores how an energy community can be established on the small island of Orø in the Isefjord and examines the role of thermal networks, local electricity sharing and local engagement in the island’s energy transition. The study is set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing energy system, where electricity from solar and wind is increasingly replacing oil, gas and biomass, while grid capacity is under pressure. Building on recent EU directives on energy communities and their minimal implementation in Denmark, Orø is analysed as a clearly defined but grid-dependent island community with both permanent residents and many holiday homes, where a local transition is already underway through an EU Interreg project. The thesis combines quantitative energy system modelling with a qualitative analysis of social and institutional conditions. Technically, it applies the Smart Energy Systems perspective and models the island’s energy system in energyPRO, based on an aggregated bottom‑up mapping of 1,421 buildings, the majority being electrically heated holiday homes. Six island‑wide scenarios show that oil and biomass heating can be fully phased out through electrification, and that combining renovation, solar PV, wind power and storage can halve imported electricity and significantly reduce CO₂ emissions, while still yielding positive annual net gains and reasonable payback times. For Bybjerg, the island’s main settlement, a concrete energy community design is developed, including a shared thermal network, local generation and internal electricity sharing. The available land is sufficient to supply all buildings, but the thermal network only becomes economically viable when combined with renovation or a full technology mix, and local electricity sharing mainly provides an additional financial benefit rather than forming the core business case. The qualitative analysis, based on informal conversations with stakeholders and field observations, uses the Multi‑Level Perspective and literature on intermediaries to show how national frameworks, tariff rules, loan guarantees and the existing grid regime both enable and constrain energy communities. It also highlights the importance of local champions and a new energy office, alongside challenges in maintaining broad participation beyond the lifetime of the Interreg project. The thesis concludes that an energy community on Orø is technically feasible and can be economically viable, but its realisation depends chiefly on financing the thermal network, securing sufficient resident participation and sustaining local engagement in a context where mounting pressure on the energy system only partially opens a window of opportunity for such communities.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan der kan etableres et energifællesskab på den lille ø Orø i Isefjorden, og hvilken rolle termiske net, lokal deling af el og lokalt engagement kan spille i øens grønne omstilling. Baggrunden er en energisektor i forandring, hvor el fra sol og vind i stigende grad erstatter olie, gas og biomasse, samtidig med at kapaciteten i elnettet er under pres. Med udgangspunkt i EU’s regler for energifællesskaber og deres begrænsede implementering i Danmark analyseres Orø som et afgrænset, men netafhængigt ø-samfund, hvor der allerede igangsættes lokale energiinitiativer via et Interreg-projekt. Afhandlingen kombinerer kvantitativ energisystemmodellering med en kvalitativ analyse af sociale og institutionelle forhold. Teknisk anvendes Smart Energy Systems-perspektivet og energimodellering i energyPRO på baggrund af en bottom-up kortlægning af øens 1.421 bygninger, hvoraf størstedelen er elopvarmede sommerhuse. Seks ø-dækkende scenarier viser, at olie- og biomasseopvarmning kan udfases gennem elektrificering, og at en kombination af renovering, solceller, vindkraft og lagring kan halvere den importerede el og reducere CO₂-udledningen markant, samtidig med at investeringerne giver positiv økonomi og rimelige tilbagebetalingstider. For hovedbyen Bybjerg designes et konkret energifællesskab med et fælles termisk net, lokal elproduktion og intern eldeling. Arealet er tilstrækkeligt til at forsyne alle bygninger, men termonettet er kun rentabelt, når det kombineres med bygningsrenovering eller en samlet teknologipakke, og lokal eldeling fremstår som et økonomisk supplement snarere end grundlag. Den kvalitative analyse, baseret på samtaler med aktører og feltstudier, anvender Multi-Level Perspective og litteratur om intermediærer til at belyse, hvordan nationale rammer, tariffer, lånemuligheder og den eksisterende netorganisering både muliggør og begrænser energifællesskaber. Samtidig fremhæves betydningen af lokale ildsjæle og et nyt energi-kontor, men også udfordringen ved at fastholde bred deltagelse efter Interreg-projektets afslutning. Afhandlingen konkluderer, at et energifællesskab på Orø er teknisk gennemførligt og kan være økonomisk bæredygtigt, men at realiseringen primært afhænger af finansieringen af termonettet, beboernes deltagelse og evnen til at opretholde lokalt engagement i en energisektor, hvor vinduet for nye fællesskaber kun delvist står åbent.
[This abstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]