Renewable Energy and Dairy Farming Link the Cycle of Sustainability - June 2002

Renewable Energy and Dairy Farming Link the Cycle of Sustainability - June 2002

In Denmark in June 2002, significant progress was made in the diffusion of renewable energies, particularly wind and solar power, in response to the growing environmental pollution problem. Particular attention was paid to biomass power generation efforts linked to livestock farmers. Biomass power generation using livestock waste and agricultural residues generated in the livestock industry has attracted attention as a technology that symbolizes the shift to a recycling-oriented society by simultaneously realizing the recycling of waste and energy production.

Behind this is Denmark's policy of abandoning nuclear power generation, which has been in place since the 1980s, and its citizen-participatory energy policy. The introduction of community-driven renewable energies, centered on wind power generation, had already achieved significant results in the 1990s, and biomass and solar power were positioned to follow in their footsteps. For dairy farmers in particular, who were struggling with the disposal of livestock waste, the conversion to energy was an effective solution to both cost and environmental problems.

In 2002, the year this report was written, the EU as a whole was undergoing a concrete policy shift toward the spread of renewable energies, and Denmark was showing the world that it was a leading country in this field. These community-based energy strategies also provided important suggestions for Japanese local governments.