Malmo, Sweden! Our Next Stop!

Train station in Malmo. Notice
the bikes.

This afternoon we boarded the train after some last minute shopping in Copenhagen and headed for Sweden. Malmo is just a short trip ( about 30 minutes by train) from Copenhagen. In fact, many people can get to work faster coming in from Malmo than other areas of Copenhagen. We will be catching the night train to Stockholm tonight and we are so excited to see what it has in store.  See if you can find Malmo on a map of Sweden. 

Turning Torso Building

While waiting for our connection we set out to find the Solar City-Malmo. It is known around Sweden for their efforts to be Eco friendly and another "green energy" environment. From the moment we turned the corner on the bus, we were both so surprised to see an architectural wonder we had just showed our classes. How many of our students remember the Turning Torso building? It was in the center of modern Malmo. Looking up at it almost made us dizzy.

Streets are pedestrian friendly

 Once we left the bus our first stop was Green Market which focused on ecological products and locally grown produce and other fresh products such as eggs.

Green is the eco-friendly grocery store

Shopping carts made of recycled
materials.

The shopping carts were made of a recycled plastic and you had to pay 10 kroner to use it. As we walked around the store we were reminded a little of Whole Foods back at home but taken up several levels. To get out the door you had to scan your receipt.

Refill station for cleaning supplies

Another unique thing about this grocery store was the details to using recycled packaging.  As you can see from the picture to the right, if you want to purchase cleaning supplies such as washing detergent you can bring your container you already have and get a refill instead of purchasing a new bottle. 

All of the buildings here have
solar panels

One section of Malmo is also known as Solar City and after touring the area it is easy to see why it is called that.  This area is located near the coast in what is considered the modern section of the city.  .  All of the buildings in the area must have their power supplied with solar energy. There are more solar thermal collectors installed in the schools, museums, hospitals and businesses than any other place in Sweden. In fact, the largest PV plant in Scandinavia was installed here in 2007. It is known as the city of sustainability and renewable energy.   Look closely at the picture to the left to see if you can find the solar panels on the buildings. 

Ms. Edge enjoying the summer solstice

Sun worshipers enjoying the
summer solstice

Energy Detectives searching for
solar energy in Malmo

Today is the summer solstice and the sun worshipers were everywhere once we got to the "beach area". I say that loosely because the beach was not on the water but a small sand area across the street. The view across the water was beautiful. After enjoying the view, we headed towards the Eco friendly restaurants for a late lunch-early dinner, we checked out all of the apartment/condo homes in the area. In order to build here you must abide by strict standards and the homes are all powered through solar energy. Wow, we are exploring solar energy on the summer solstice or sun festival day. How ironic is that? The cafes in the area must also use organic, local products and adhere to the stricter green policy. Even their uniforms are Eco friendly. We ended the evening with the locals sitting on the wall overlooking the water.

The Griffin is the symbol of
Malmo

 Before heading into the station, we walked through the older area of Malmo in search of the Griffin, a mythical creature that appears to be a symbol of Malmo. After a lot of searching, we finally found it! Now we wait at the station for our train. Good night Malmo and Happy Summer Solstice from the Land of the Midnight Sun.

The Walk of Sustainabiity

Copenhagen Towers in Denmark

What would it be like to stay at a place that put its emphasis on conserving energy and creating a zero carbon environment? What would a hotel look like if it had 3 of it's facades covered in solar energy panels? How does a hotel generate enough power to equal 80 Danish houses? By becoming the innovator and winner of the 2010 Sustainable Energy Award for Europe. We chose to stay at the Crown Plaza in Copenhagen because of these factors.

Solar Panels are on 3 sides of the

building supplying electricity to the hotel.

  They have the largest building integrated solar energy park in Northern Europe. For their heating and cooling they have created Denmark's first ground-water based system which reduces their energy consumption by 60% for heating and 90% for cooling

This is posted in the dining area to let
guests know about their eco-friendly policy.

  They also purchase local organic foods and use their waste materials from the kitchen to create biogass.

Monitors display hotel information

Often when you come into a hotel room, you will find many paper products giving you information about the hotel and activities and facilities in the area you are visitng.  While one or two books in your hotel room may seem like a small amount of paper, multiply that by all the rooms in the hotel.  Now you are talking about a significant amount of paper that is wasted. Yes, it can be used time and time again but everytime you update something at the hotel you have to reprint the books. At the Copenhagen Towers they do not have any such books. Instead all of the information is at your fingertips via your tv monitor.  You have access to all of the hotels ammenities as well as information about how they are working toward an eco-friendly environment.

All of the items found in the rooms are made
from organic or recycled materials.

  Most of the items in the guest rooms are created from recycled or organic materials from the shampoos and soaps to the furniture in the room. This building is an excellent example of renewable energy integration. The energy they do not get from solar is obtaines through wind energy. What a great way to see most of the renewable energy sources at work in one place.

Bikes, Bikes Everywhere

As we have been walking the streets of Denmark, one thing has certainly stood out. Another form of energy we had not really considered before but that is very prevalent around this area of the world- human energy. Bicycles are one of the most common modes of transportation.


They are almost as important here as the train, the metro and cars. In fact, people do not drive cars in and around the city because the streets are narrow in many sections, there are a lot of pedestrians, it costs a lot of money to park and the taxes paid on the autos is very high.

What is the alternative? Ride your bike! They have their own lanes, and even their own signal lights at intersections. There are lanes for pedestrians, bikes and cars so you better follow the signs and watch were you are walking as you head down the streets of Copenhagen.

If you are a tourist and you did not bring your bike with you, no worries, you can "rent one" at the many bike racks along the street. Simply drop in your kroner to unlock the bike and when you return it to any  bike rack around town and lock it up, you get your kroner back. What a fun way to travel from place to place in a little less time than walking!

There is Energy Everywhere!

After a good nights sleep we were ready to get up and explore the many energy resources Denmark had to offer. We have seen the power of human energy through farming and bipedal transportation. Biogas production left a lasting impression [phew!] and wind power is everywhere you look.

Now we are going to head to the Energi Museet to learn about the other sources of energy used in this country and how it is all integrated so that you have it at your fingertips whenever you need it. The museum itself is more of an open air facility and so we saw the real process being generated by the machines used on "the grid" which is the complex system which balances the many forms of enery so that there is a constant flow.

Our first stop was at a working hydroelectric station. We saw the huge turbines that move the water from the river through the station and generate electricity then channel it back to the river. Great right? For us yes, but for the local wildlife, it interrupts their lives in a big way. They can't get to the other side of the plant.

This problem was solved by creating fish ladders to allow the wildlife to go around the plant. Clever Danes!


Next we explored the the solar energy systems. We saw a solar house and a very cool solar car. Since we will see more practical application in Copenhagen, we didn't go into much detail here, especially on a cloudy day like today.

Finally we saw the history of the giants of Denmark from their early beginnings. Wind technology didn't happen over night. There were many small steps in between. We had a huge "Ah Ha" moment when we realized that you can have too much energy at any given time. Yes that is right: Too much energy can be produced, which then causes the grid to shut down so that it does not crash.

 Too much wind or water impacts the grid, so when Norway's hydropower plants are inundated with too much melting mountain snow, they need to channel it somewhere. Where might they send it? In the same way, Denmark might have a period of very strong wind and not be able to handle it. What can they do with it? Let's see; Norway sometimes has too much water energy, and Denmark sometimes has too much wind energy. Well of course, they could just trade couldn't they. That is exactly what they do. We know that they trade with Sweden too.

Since our next stop is Sweden, we are going to try and find out what they add to the power grid trading mix. So stay tuned!

The Land of the Giants



Wind Farms as seen from the train on the bridge from Malmo

From the moment we crossed the bridge on the train into Copenhagen we saw them. Huge, white, turning in syncronized motion and lined up in rows in the waters seperating Denmark and Sweden. The tall white giants which are the basis of Denmark's wind energy; the wind turbines and wind farms.

Down the road from the farm we are
staying at, we found these turbines.

Interesting how they look when they are
all lined up in a row.

  They are everywhere dotting the landscape of the city and countryside alike. Wind energy provides most of the electricity to this area. Most of the wind turbines are owned and regulated by the government but you will sometimes find one owned privately by a land owner. Besides, wind energy, the area we are staying in Hostelbro also utilizes biogass or biomass energy. How many of you know that in Texas we get some of our electricity from wind turbines like these?  Where in Texas do you think you would find them? 

Lemvig Biogas Facility in Lemvig

 Today we visited the Lemvig Biogass plant where huge storage tanks collect the biomass collected from the area. Since 1992, Lemvig has been the largest biogas facility in Denmark.   They process the excess materials and waste from homes and farms thus eliminating the need for waste disposal plants and public landfills. There are no greehhouse gasses that are emitted from the facilitiy so it is a natural choice for being eco-friendly to the environment. They are located near a harbor in Lemvig and can accept between 200-10,000 tons of organic waste at a time.  While the processing plant may not look that impressive you can certainly tell you are there by the smell in the air. Do you think biogas could be produced in our area?  Did you know that in some areas of the United States they are building biogas plants. Think of all the landfills that could be eliminated if we utilized this type of energy.

They also utilize solar energy at the
biomass plant/

Ms. Edge indicates how it smells near
the holding tanks. 

Tomorrow we will be visiting the Energy Museum outside of Viborg, Denmark to see what we can discover about other forms of renewable energy with their many interactive exhbitss, displays and demonstrations.

Heading to Denmark

The next morning we were up at the break of dawn (oh, wait .... it really never gets completely dark, so that statement does not apply) or 4:30 a.m. in order to get the bus to the ferry to the trolley and finally to the train station. Wow, that sounds tiring just typing it!

Our train for Copenhagen, Denmark leaves the station this morning at 7:00 and this time we will be carrying all of our baggage with us. One word of advice for those traveling to many different locations and using public transportation. PACK LIGHTLY!!! It will come back to haunt you if you do not. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to lug a duffel bag of suitcase up the steps to the train along with a carry-on bag and backpack as well. Today will be a major travel day with our first stop being in Gothenburg, Sweden to change trains and then head to Copenhagen Airport where we will be renting a car to get us across to the places in Denmark we want to visit that are not easily accessible by public transportation. We notice a difference between today's trains and the ones we took to Bergen and back. These are a lot more crowded and not nearly as comfortable and with less amenities as before.

 It is interesting to watch the people come and go at the various stops and it makes you curious about how their lives are similar and different than ours. On the train, we meet a young man named Adam who is traveling to Malmo (the stop before ours) to visit friends. He tells us that at his apartment (which is quite a bit smaller than our homes and apartment at 300 square feel, his electricity is produced mainly by biogass. This is one of the energies we are hoping to explore as we visit Denmark over the next few days. He tells us that the average cost of his electricity is about $400 per year. Of course it would be interesting to see what that would be when you factor in the size of the home. Of course coolig is what drives the cost and usage up in our area and that is not needed here. They focus on the heating aspect since they have a much milder temperature here in the summer. In fact, today we are bundled up in sweaters, scarfs and jackets and it is June 15th.

 After we arrive at the airport around 3:30 in the afternoon and secure our vehicle we are off across Denmark towards the small town of Hostelbro. Our drive to the farm will take us about 4 hours.

Here we will be staying at the home of Jenn Peter Sonne, who is a horse farmer and raises Icelandic horses. We know what farming life was like in the 10th century and now we will investigate 21st century farming techniques. It will be interesting to see how energy needs and consumption changes in the rural areas of the country compared to Copenhagen, which we will visit at the beginning of next week.

 

One difference we noticed when looking out the window. What do you think it was?

The Power of Water, the Fjords of Norway

Bestefenn and Griffy are excited to

be on the train.

Our Conductor

On Wednesday we packed a snack and headed to Bergen via Myrdal, Flam, Gudvangen, and Voss. We took two trains, a ferry, and a bus to our final destination.

On the way we witnessed the incredible force that melting ice caps can bring with them. The first to take advantage of this renewable energy source was the lumber industry. The Norwegian loggers used this energy to move large numbers of logs from the mountainous forests to the ports to be processed and sold. Then it was harnesses and channeled into dams to produce hydroelectricity which is still a major energy source in that country. In fact, Norway and Denmark trade renewable energy. You now know what Norway sends to Denmark. What do you think Denmark sends to Norway?

This is where waterfalls begin., At the
top of the mountain.

Ready to board the old time train
for Flam.  Notice all the snow!

The Flam Railway was quite different
but very quaint.

At Myrdal, we exited the NSB train and boarded the Flam Railcar that took us on an incredible journey to Flam.  From our train we saw beautiful waterfalls and rapidly moving mountain streams that reminded us of the mountains in Colorado.  The air is so fresh and clean.

On the Fjord cruise learning about the
power of water.

Another of the many waterfalls

Even in the rain the fjord is beautiful!

Our boat trip was on the most beautiful fjord. In fact it is on the UNESCO world heritage list, and we totally agree. Everywhere you looked you could see the waterfalls orginating from the tops of the mountains we had just crossed on our train ride. We saw where they waterfalls begin.  It was definitely the right time of the year to experience the majestic beauty of the fjord. The only thing that would have made this better would have been a clear day. Because it was raining and windy, it was also quite cold so we warmed up with some hot cocoa and coffee. You probably wonder if it really is that cold as you look at how we are bundled up.  Yes it was!!!!

Bergen is on the opposite side of Norway
than Oslo.

What a fun way to get around!

We got to the old fishing town of Bergen that evening, but no worries there was plenty of light to find our tiny bed & breakfast for the night. It was located in the oldest part of town where the streets are so tiny, and very short and winding. We felt like we were in a fairy tale story, or a nursery rhyme.

Boarding the train back to Oslo

Our visit to the fisherman's wharf reminded us of all the human energy it takes to put food on the table. Spending the day out on to open ocean, then hauling it in, cleaning it and then getting it to the market ( that would be an open market, not a grocery store)so it can be shipped to other places makes for a long and smelly day. Our return trip to Oslo was faster, but not quite as colorful. We saw that all walks of life used the train on a daily basis, and not just for vacations, like us. It was fun seeing dog, cats, and babies get on and off the train. Then we were back in Oslo and glad to visit with our friend Renate again and share all our funny stories.