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Energy in the Faroe Islands

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Energy in the Faroe Islands is produced primarily from fossil fuels, with further contributions from hydro and wind power. Oil products are the main energy source, mainly consumed by fishing vessels and sea transport. Electricity is produced by hydropower and wind farms, mainly by the SEV, which is owned by all the municipalities of the Faroe Islands.[1] The Faroe Islands are not connected by power lines with continental Europe, and thus the archipelago cannot import or export electricity.

Overview

Per capita annual consumption of primary energy in the Faroe Islands was 67 MWh in 2011, almost 60% above the comparable consumption in continental Denmark.[2][3] After taking a dip in the early 1990s the electricity production in the Faroe Islands has steadily been on the rise since then, going from 174,422 MWh in 1994 to 314,409 MWh in 2015.[4] Wind power was introduced in 1993, producing as little as 423 MWh at first, but rising to 55,789 MWh by 2015.[4] The energy sector employed 154 people or 0.6% of the islands' total workforce as of November 2015.[5]

Electricity

The Botnur power plant was built in 1921.

The islands have 6 hydroelectric plants,[6] 4 diesel plants[7] and several wind power plants with a capacity factor above 40%.[8] In 2014, a 12MW wind farm costing DKK 180 million[9] became operational near Torshavn and increased wind capacity from 6.6 to 18.6MW; this decreased oil consumption by 8,000 ton (approximately 4M€) per year.[8] There are plans to connect a 2.3MW Lithium-ion battery,[10] and planners are also considering converting the existing hydropower[11] to Pumped-storage hydroelectricity.[9] Tidal power[12] and Thermal energy storage solutions are also being considered,[13] with the islands have a goal of 100% green electricity production by 2030.[9]

There are two electricity grids on the Faroe Islands: the first one consists of Suðuroy alone, while the other comprises the other islands.[14] Fugloy, Hestur, Mykines, Skúvoy and Stóra Dímun are not part of either grid, and are electrified through their own fossil fuel powerplants.[14][15] Due to its lack of interconnections and extreme weather conditions, the Faroe Islands experience one to three total blackouts annually, a ratio higher than that of continental Europe.[15] The municipality-owned company SEV is the main electricity supplier in the Faroe Islands with 97% of the total production, with private producers supplying the rest.[16][17]

Energy resources

Fishing vessels are the main consumer of oil in the Faroe Islands.

In 2014, 217,547 tonnes of oil products were consumed in the Faroe Islands.[18] Of these, 31.58% was consumed by fishing vessels, 14.73% was used by SEV for electricity production, 23.23% was consumed in air, sea or land transport, 9.6% was used in the industry, and the rest was used by public or private buildings.[18] Oil and gas exploration has been taking place around the Faroe Islands since 2001, with the expectation that significant oil reserves will be found.[19]

There are coal reserves on Suðuroy, which were considered for energy production.[17] The reserves are between 10 and 15 million tonnes and they could replace oil in the Sund power-station for 100 years.[17][14]

Government energy policy

The Faroe Islands have set a goal of producing their entire electrical energy needs from renewable energy sources by 2030.[20] Since energy consumption has been rising steadily during the last few decades,[4] the Ministry of Trade and Industry has conducted a study for the future development of electricity production projects.[17] Apart from the development of new hydropower plants and wind farms, the study proposes the investigation of the possibility to produce electricity from LNG and biogas.[17] The University of the Faroe Islands has undertaken research into the feasibility of tidal power at several sites which have a high energy potential,[21] leading the Ministry of Trade and Industry to consider tidal power as a possibility.[17] The privatisation of electricity production was not promoted, although consideration was given to introducing competition and transparency into electricity production.[17][14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Djurhuus, Høgni; Mohr, Bjarni (17 October 2016). "Ikki umrøtt málið". Kringvarp Føroya. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Total Primary Energy Consumption per Capita, Faroe Islands, Annual". Energy Information Administration. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Total Primary Energy Consumption per Capita, Denmark, Annual". Energy Information Administration. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "Electricity production, by hydro, wind and thermal in MWh (1990-2015)". Statistics Faroe Islands. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Faroe Islands in figures 2016" (PDF). Statistics Faroe Islands. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  6. ^ Hydro electric power
  7. ^ Thermal Power
  8. ^ a b Terji Nielsen. Wind energy in the Faroe Islands page 19-21. SEV, 2015
  9. ^ a b c Green Progress
  10. ^ "Faroe Islands to get Europe's first wind-connected battery storage system". Renew Economy.
  11. ^ Bárður A. Niclasen. Vedvarende energi 2015
  12. ^ Tidal Energy on the Horizon
  13. ^ Jannicke Nilsen (27 November 2015). "ENERGYNEST - THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE - TES". Teknisk Ukeblad.
  14. ^ a b c d Mikladal, Poul A. "Sustainable energy in the Faroe Islands - the role of hydropower" (PDF). Faroese Priome Minister's Office. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  15. ^ a b Birke, Anders (28 May 2015). "The Faroe Islands - Solutions for integrating a large share of renewables" (PDF). European Commission. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  16. ^ "Faroese Energy – On the Sustainability Track". faroeislands.fo - The official gateway to the Faroe Islands. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g "Comprehensive Plan for Electric Energy in the Faroe Islands". Ministry of Trade and Industry. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  18. ^ a b "Consumption of oil in tonnes by consumer groups". Statistics Faroe Islands. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  19. ^ Topdahl, Rolv Christian (24 August 2012). "Oil can turn the Faroe Islands into the new Kuwait". Aftenbladet. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  20. ^ Deign, Jason (24 April 2015). "The Faroe Islands Are Getting Europe's First Lithium-Ion Battery Directly Supporting Wind". Greentech Media. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  21. ^ Simonsen, Knud; Niclasen, Bárður (1 May 2011). "On the energy potential in the tidal streams on the Faroe Shelf" (PDF). University of the Faroe Islands. Retrieved 8 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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