Peter Hoestgaard-Jensen was speaking at the Energy Matters Summit, a two-day meeting of international delegates being held at Delta Meadowvale Resort Centre. The fourth annual summit, which is sponsored by Peel Region, continues tomorrow.
"We hope to become a model city and a living laboratory for effective energy use," Hoestgaard-Jensen told a couple of hundred delegates in a session titled Green Ballots: Exploring the Political Will in the Fight Against Climate Change.
The town of Frederikshavn, population 25,000, which is at a critical junction where energy flows from Denmark to neighbouring Finland and Sweden, has been designated as that country's model energy municipality and is well on its way to relying completely on renewable energy by 2015.
It was at 17 per cent renewable energy in 2006 and will reach 40 per cent in 2009, largely by installing a mass of wind-powered turbines outside its busy port.
"We have got politicians, thank God, who are open-minded and flexible about new technologies," said Hoestgaard-Jensen.
There are still numerous technical challenges to reaching the goal, including how to store wind-generated power until it is needed, the speaker said. Right now, Denmark sells its surplus power to its neighbours at relatively low prices, then has to buy more power back when it needs it, at much higher rates.
One of the critical issues in all jurisdictions is getting control of energy use in the transport sector, whose energy use has grown 50 per cent since 1980 and is expected to grow by that much again by 2025.
"The transport sector must wake up and contribute," said Hoestgaard-Jensen.
He emphasized that using solar, wind and biomass (agricultural, waste and other organic sources) for 100 per cent of its power is not an assured goal for Frederikshavn.
"We need continued strong involvement from city council and the citizens. It's only by keeping that focus that we can succeed," he said.
Ontario Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield, who spoke after the Green Ballots discussion, offered a challenge to conference delegates.
"Let's take Denmark on," she said. "Let's find a sustainable city in Ontario. We need to have research projects and buses running on biofuel and establish other pilot projects here."
While Oakland is known as one of America's most violent cities, it's also one of the most sustainable, said Alice Glasner, a legislative analyst for the northern California city.
It has adopted the slogan, Oil Independent Oakland, after commissioning a task force to deal with the looming oil crisis.
"It's important to bring in outside experts who are not involved in your existing corporate culture," Glasner said.
Oakland has banned polystyrene, plastic bags and set new green building standards.
Transportation is responsible for 95 per cent of the oil used in Oakland, where cars get an embarrassing "20 miles per gallon," Glasner said.
Changes are being made to create "urban villages" and make alternative transportation systems, such as bicycle paths, more attractive.
Sean Pander, manager of climate change for Vancouver's sustainability group, said adopting a plan with real goals is a major first step. Vancouver's plan, adopted in 2003, calls for a 20 per cent reduction from 1990 carbon levels by 2010.
"With energy issues, local governments matter, almost more than any other level of government," Pander said.
jstewart@mississauga.net
