Tjæreborg Enge, 10 kilometres south of Esbjerg, is going to set the framework for some of the most advanced wind turbine experiments ever seen. A blade from one of the wind turbines in Tjæreborg Enge is removed and replaced with a test blade that has advanced measuring equipment. The measurements on the new test blade begin in May and aim at making the wind turbines of the future more efficient and quiet.

On 16 April, the Wind Energy Division at Risø DTU is holding the first workshop in a series aiming to present the challenges faced when dealing with a larger amount of wind energy in power systems.

Research shows that it is possible to produce copper about 4 times stronger than commercial material – and doing so while also having a ductile material. As the thermal and electrical conductivity are also good, the manufacturing of, for example, electrical conductors with improved mechanical properties looks promising.

The location of the future neutron source European Spallation Source (ESS) has possibly been settled. Seven European member states on the evening of May 28th, 2009 gave support for the Lund site.

On 5 May, the UNEP Risoe Centre and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark are holding a seminar on climate challenges and the need for technological and financial support to address climate problems in the developing countries.

An international survey shows that most Danes support using GM plants for production of pharmaceuticals. In this respect Danes are in line with citizens from the U.S., Israel, Spain, Poland and the Czech Republic.

On Friday 29 May,Grethe Winther, Risø DTU,defends her thesis on dislocation structures in metals. Thus, she can become the third female Doctor Technices in Denmark.

An increasing proportion of the Danish vehicle fleet consists of diesel vehicles. In urban areas diesel vehicles are causing air pollution (from carbon particles, nitrogen oxides (NOX)) and unburned hydrocarbons). As the European legislation tightens the rules for emissions, it will become more difficult and expensive to meet the requirements for particulate filters and DeNOx technologies.

This year the Roskilde Festival has arranged an entire sustainable community where you can learn about climate issues and solutions. Here in Climate Community you will also find Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy demonstrating fuel cells, solar cells, biogas etc.

At Risø DTU’s conference scientists will seek answers to the big question: How do we ensure a peak in CO2 emissions and secure future energy supply? And without preventing developing countries from achieving the same prosperity as we have.

No unusual radiation or radioactivity is measured at Risø DTU or in its surrounding area. And that’s the way it has been since the inauguration of Risø in 1958. At that time the purpose was peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The Latin American and Caribbean Carbon Forum 2009(LACF), hosted by the Panamanian National Environmental Authority – ANAM, is holding a three day Forum. This year, the event takes place in Panama City, Panama from 24 to 26 June, 2009.
 
The Forum is organized by the UNEP Risoe Centre (URC) in Denmark, the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), and the World Bank Institute (WBI) as part of their activities devoted to develop CDM capacities in the Region.

The conference focused on how to implement the recommendations from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. How can we make the global CO2 emissions peak by 2020 and then fall considerably before 2050? See proceedings and presentations on our website. Here you will also find proceedings and presentations from three previous energy conferences.

Senior Scientist Christian Bahl and Development Engineer Dan Eriksen from Risø DTU proudly present their latest invention: a three-way valve that controls the flow through a magnetic material which is attracted by an external magnet when the liquid reaches a certain temperature. The design is promising and the group is now looking for a partner in the industry who would like to join them in this work.

As the first in the world, a strong Danish research and industrial collaboration has connected a polymer solar cell plant to the grid. For a long time Risø’s solar energy programme has been conducting research into polymer solar cells, a cheap alternative to existing silicon-based solar cells. Research is now at such an advanced stage that a demonstration plant has been built at Risø DTU.

Funding has been granted for a new centre at Risø DTU to increase the operating reliability of wind turbines: The Danish Council for Strategic Research’s Programme Commission on Energy and Environment has granted funding of DKK 38.0 million for the establishment of the Danish Centre for Composite Structures and Materials (DCCSM). The new centre will be headed by Senior Scientist Bent F. Sørensen, Materials Research Division at Risø DTU.

The Wind Energy Division at Risø DTU National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy offers a unique technical course in offshore wind energy. The course will take place from the 27th -30th of April 2009 and registration is possible now.

Risø DTU is actively involved in the UN campaign ’Seal the Deal' and collects signatures in various cities across the country urging the world leaders to enter into a fair, balanced and effective climate agreement .

Classes in the visitor centre and scientists at Stændertorvet. On Thursday 23 April, a couple of classes are visiting Risø Visitor Centre to learn about sustainable energy. In cooperation with Roskilde municipality and local research and educational institutions Risø will be present at Stændertorvet in Roskilde from 10:00 – 14:00 on Saturday 25 April.

Risø DTU has recently completed the world’s first successful test on a wind turbine with a laser-based anemometer built into the spinner in order to increase electricity generation. "The results show that this system can predict wind direction, gusts of wind and turbulence. So we estimate that future wind turbines can increase energy production while reducing extreme loads by using this laser system, which we call wind LIDAR," says Torben Mikkelsen, Professor at Risø DTU.

Polymer solar cell lamps may be an alternative to the polluting and unhealthy kerosene lamps that are widely applied in developing countries. The lamps are based on a rechargeable battery and a LED light source.

What seems to be waste to one person may be resources to another – but it takes a meeting and perhaps a scientist before an idea of recycling can become a reality.

How do we make Denmark greener? DTU students from the organisation Green Vision at Risø DTU try to answer this question when they present sustainable energy technologies at Rådhuspladsen in Copenhagen – on 19 -21 November. The press is also welcome.

The governing body of the international fusion energy experiment ITER – the ITER Council – has just approved an updated design, which also means that a diagnostic system called Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) will be part of the ITER experiment. The diagnostic has been developed by the fusion research group at Risø DTU. 

The European Space Agency, ESA, has shown interest in an instrument from Risø DTU, which may prove useful in the exploration of the red planet.

There were 27 participants, 10 nationalities, people from industry and PhD students from various technical universities. The summer course 'Remote sensing for wind energy', held in week 24, has been a huge success since it was first established in 2008. Last year there even was a waiting list. The course combines theory and practice in the best possible way.

Frederick Krebs has received the Carlsberg Energy Research Prize 09 in recognition of his research in polymer solar cells. Dr. Krebs received the prize at the Bright Green exhibition at Forum in Copenhagen Sunday 13 December, held in connection with the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Det kan vise sig nødvendigt direkte at fjerne CO2 fra atmosfæren efter 2050, hvis klimaændringerne skal begrænses. Det var et af budskaberne fra Risøs 4. internationale energikonference, der sluttede i dag, onsdag den 16. september 2009.

According to the final report from a workshop on transport (with Risø DTU as main organizer and held within the framework of DTU Climate Change Technologies) it was found that the most important thing is to get the transport sector integrated into the overall energy system. By land, air and sea, there are plenty of ways to reduce CO2 emissions from transport.

On 3 April, students from 48 secondary schools in Denmark gathered for a conference in Experimentarium in Hellerup to discuss climate issues and how to solve them. The panel had nine experts, including Risø DTU's Director Henrik Bindslev and Head of the DTU Climate Centre at Risø, Kirsten Halsnæs.

Every 6-7 years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, publishes its main reports presenting a comprehensive assessment of the global climate situation.

The debate will also be about how the educational system can provide researchers to realize these visions.

Risø DTU has just concluded a large full-scale experiment on a wind turbine at Tjæreborg Enge near Esbjerg on the west coast of Jutland. It is the first time that anybody has carried out detailed measurements of the load distribution on a 40-metre-long blade under natural wind conditions, thereby providing a very accurate picture of the wind flow over the wind turbine blade surface.

Today Risø DTU is inaugurating a Danish-Chinese basic research centre. The centre aims to strengthen science and collaboration between China and Denmark within the field of ’nano-metals and their properties’. Participants in the opening ceremony are the Chinese Ambassador, Chinese partners and the chairman of the board from the Danish National Research Foundation.

Risø DTU is hosting 3 short, dynamic network meetings for small and medium-sized businesses who want insight and inspiration to become producers, subcontractors or service providers for the energy sector.

We can change the Danish energy system to depend mainly on renewable energy. Compared to the 2008 level, CO2 emissions can be reduced by 50 percent before 2050.

Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, DTU, and the municipality of Roskilde have entered into an agreement for a joint development project to strengthen the development of sustainable energy technologies.

How ambitious can we be in contributing to the worlds energy needs with wind, solar and bioenergy? Find some of the answers in the presentations from the workshop on Sustainable Energy, which was held on 14-15 January.

In Risø’s new report on the international situation of nuclear energy, you can read that the International Energy Agency of OECD (IEA) estimates that nuclear power globally will grow by 0.7% per year until 2030, mainly because this kind of electricity generation does not emit CO2. Today nuclear power accounts for approx. 14% of the global electricity supply. 31 countries have nuclear power plants. Most are part of the OECD area in Europe, North America and Southeast Asia.

Lederen af DTU Klima Center på Risø blogger på JP. Læs Kirsten Halsnæs’ indlæg og kommenter det her.

Tirsdag den 17. og onsdag den 18. marts 2009 afholder DTU en workshop om fremtidens transportsektor med meget mindre CO2 udledning. Transportsektoren er en af de store udfordringer i kampen for at mindske verdens CO2 udledninger. Transport sluger ca. 20% af det globale energiforbrug. I Danmark går 30% af energiforbruget til transport.

DTU Climate Centre at Risø DTU is going to prepare Denmark for climate change by choosing solutions based on research conducted in Denmark’s new climate research centre.

Through 30 years, the Materials Research Division has held an international symposium on materials science at Risø every year in the first week of September. This year the topic is ”nanostructured metals”. With 70 participants from 11 countries, the event is attracting attention from around the world.

Risø DTU joins forces with Copenhagen Capacity, Scion DTU, Copenhagen University and DI (The Confederation of Danish Industry) in initiating Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster with the main purpose of creating growth and development for energy and environment technologies.

Kaspar Kirstein Nielsen has received the EliteForsk travelling scholarship from Denmark’s Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation. This permits him to visit some of the world's leading scientists in the field of magnetic refrigeration. For the next four months, Kaspar is going to be at the University of Victoria, Canada. This is a unique opportunity to explore some of the interesting active areas of magnetic refrigeration with a team of leading scientists.

Three camps for 45 Danish secondary school students are to inspire young people to study natural science. The camps, organised by dedicated students from the Technical University of Denmark are about bioenergy, wind turbines, hydrogen and fuel cells.

Grøn Vision, located at Risø DTU, has asked elite students at DTU to write educational materials for upper secondary schools and technology colleges (htx) with the support from professors and Danish companies.

The trailing edge of wind turbine blades can be manufactured in an elastic material that makes it possible to control the shape of the trailing edge. This will reduce the considerably dynamic loads that large wind turbine blades are exposed to during operation.

On Saturday evening, Risø’s Director Henrik Bindslev takes a train from Roskilde station to Copenhagen. It is a very special CO2-free train named ”Climate Express”. Henrik Bindslev will get on the train at 22:30.

This year’s theme for World Environment Day is ‘Your Planet needs You!

The conference will deal with energy solutions that can reduce global CO2 emissions. Scientists are going to discuss ways to make CO2 emissions peak by 2020 and decline to 50% of current levels by 2050.

With the ambition to increase the proportion of wind power from today’s 20% to 50% in 2020 - 2025, Denmark is one of the most challenged countries in the integration of wind energy in the entire energy system.

The European Wind Energy Conference, EWEC, is a major event for all those involved in wind energy. Scientists from Risø DTU play a very important role in this conference with posters, introductory speakers and chairpersons. At the end of this year's conference held in Marseilles from 16 - 19 March two of them received prizes for their contributions: One of the four poster prizes went to scientist Andreas Bechmann. Senior scientist Rebecca Barthelmie, who is currently a guest scientist at Risø from Indiana University, received the Academy Scientific Award.

Scientists, industry and authorities at home and abroad will meet on 17 and 18 March 2009 at DTU for a 2-day workshop to discuss how we get a transport sector with less CO2 emissions.

Bob Dylan's famous song from 1962, A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, is going to be the unofficial soundtrack for COP15 in Copenhagen. The premiere of a unique new film with this song takes place at Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, on Sunday, 6 December at 13:00.

South Africa is the 30th place in the world to have a detailed map of the country’s wind resources thanks to Risø DTU. The map shows the best locations for wind turbines and is a prerequisite for funding wind farms.

Risø’s fourth international energy conference takes place on 14 – 16 September. The conference aims at identifying energy solutions on local, regional and global level which can lead to a peak in CO2 emissions in 2015 - 2020 and a 50% reduction before 2050.

Exciting educational material on sustainable energy technologies – a camp at Risø DTU for Danish upper secondary school students - and an exhibition of energy technologies at Rådhuspladsen. The Green Vision project has been developed by a group of students at DTU. The whole idea is to make upper secondary school students interested in studying to become engineers and thus taking part in solving urgent climate problems.