Nyhedsbrev Nr. 17 – mens vi venter på energiforliget

”Den situation vi står i lige nu kan sammenlignes med oliekrisen i 70’erne, hvor vi som danskere fik en fælles fjende. Vi fandt ud af at vi alle var afhængige af et globalt marked, og det skabte en fælles opvågning. Den forandring gav danskerne et nyt syn på vores fælles ressourcer indenfor energi, som igen affødte nødvendigheden af at producere vores egen energi. vi lærte som folk at den gode afhængighed fremmede værdien af samarbejdet.”

Steen Gade, politiker og klummeskribent

 

MEN FØRST EN JULE-OG NYTÅRSHILSEN FRA ALLE OS TIL ALLE JER:

Er din bolig isoleret, er din stuetemperatur klar til juleaften og holder dine vinduer tæt, så du ikke får kolde fødder?

Nogle af os skal måske finde råderum til at få efterisoleret eller skiftet oliefyret ud med en varmepumpe. Og i det store billede er hele vores energisystem også i gang med at forandres.

Forandringens vinde blæser kraftigt ind over Danmark i disse vinterkolde dage, og en af disse kunne vi kalde for “Big Business”, som rejser spørgsmålet om hvordan ejerskabet af ressourcerne kan påvirke vores hverdag.

 Hvis vi ser på dele af energiproduktionen er andelsmodellen under forandring. Derfor er denne julehilsen en appel til at vi alle tænker over hvad ejerskab på få hænder betyder for vores fremtidige energiproduktion. Hvem kan oversætte de multinationale selskabers interesser til Hr og Fru Danmark, når de ikke forstår hvorfor prisen stiger, og hvad det rent lavpraktisk betyder, når ens elselskab er ejet af et andet land?

Vi sætter vores lid til at det kommende energiforlig bringer gode svar på disse spørgsmål. Vi skal som forbrugere have styr på de aktuelle og reelle udfordringer, som presser ejerstrukturerne i vores energisystem, og vi skal værne om den danske andelstanke i håndteringen af den fælles ressourcefordeling i et fremtidigt energilandskab.

Danmarks vedvarende energi Ø er til stadighed under transformation, men Samsø er også stadig beviset på at decentrale strukturer giver liv og virke. Derfor vil vi gerne takke jer alle i hele verden for solid opbakning og deltagelse i det fællesskab, der fremmer de kloge valg og beslutninger for den næste generation.

I ønskes et lykkeligt nytår – I gør alle en stor forskel for hele Samsøs selvopfattelse og tiltrækning.

 

Glædelig jul og godt Nytår fra hele Energiakademiet.

 

Dernæst:

Når regeringen i starten af 2018 fremlægger det nye energiforlig sker det i synergi med en dansk tradition for politisk samarbejde. Siden slutningen af 1800’erne har forliget som parlamentarisk håndværk fremmed politisk handling på tværs af partierne. I modsætning til for eksempel USA har Danmark et flerpartisystem, som gør den siddende regering afhængig af opbakningen fra de øvrige partier for at opnå stabilitet og det bedst tænkelige kompromis.

Men hvad er et forlig, og hvorfor blev det vigtigt at lave forlig på energiområdet?
“Alle skal være enige om hvordan man arbejder, så de fælles ressourcer håndteres til alles bedste”, forklarer tidligere folketingsmedlem for SF, Steen Gade. ”Gode forlig er klare og langstrakte og løber henover flere regeringer, og man holder sammen selvom man er uenige. De fleste partier har indset at på vigtige kerneområder som for eksempel energi er man nødt til at lave brede forlig. Vælgerne kan synes det er mærkeligt at der ikke sker store skift, når der kommer en ny regering, men det er netop pga. disse langstrakte aftaler, som allerede ligger fast, og som er vigtige at have for at skabe arbejdsro. Også brancheforeninger og græsrødder kan være med til at påvirke et forlig, og især sidstnævnte er vigtige for at skabe debat og jordforbindelse hos politikerne.”

Med sit voksende forbrug blev den vestlige verden efter 2 verdenskrig afhængig af store mængder olie fra især Mellemøsten, men grundet krige og boykot steg prisen på olie dramatisk i 1973 og 1979, og lande som Danmark begyndte at satse på egen energiproduktion – deriblandt vedvarende energi. Siden oliekriserne rystede Danmark har vi fra 80’erne og frem derfor haft energiforlig, som sikrer og håndterer landets fortsatte ressourcer på området.

Hvad sker der når et energiforlig forsinkes?
Det kommende energiforlig adskiller sig dog fra mange af de foregående ved sin forsinkelse. I det seneste energiforlig fra 2012 stod der, at aftalen skulle genforhandles i 2017, og borgere, industri, NGO’er og politikere venter stadig på et udspil fra regeringen. Og det har konsekvenser:

”Når regeringen ikke kommer ud med et bredt forlig begynder politikerne at sætte sig i små grupper for at lave lappeløsninger. For eksempel vælger Radikale og DF at sænke elafgiften ved at sænke og afskaffe forskellige afgifter. Det er umiddelbart en god idé i mangel på handling, men tingene kunne være blevet gjort så meget bedre i synergi med en overordnet energiaftale”, siger Søren Hermansen.

Men ventetiden fører ikke kun til politisk uro. Den gør også at Danmark mister et vigtigt økonomisk momentum:

”I 1997 da Samsø blev VEØ turde partierne og bankerne på øen godt gå ind i projektet og satse, fordi der var en øvre ramme og et bredt forlig fra borgerlig, national side, der sagde, at det er det her, vi gør, det var ikke farligt. Når der imidlertid ikke er national opbakning til sådan nogle tanker har kommunerne og den finansielle sektor sværere ved at satse og investere. Vi har brug for en energiaftale, der rækker langt, og som er balanceret i forhold til at nå mål, der ligger længere ude i fremtiden end en valgperiode”, siger Søren Hermansen.

Energiforliget og den lokale betydning
Den 21 november havde Samsø et historisk kommunalvalg: for første gang nogensinde fik øen et rødt flertal, men skønt et fokus på vedvarende energi dermed opretholdes og Samsøs status som VEØ allerede sørger for, at en god pose af kommunens penge afsættes til energiområdet, er et bredt, nationalt energiforlig stadigvæk af stor betydning for Samsø. Det fortæller Michael Kristensen, som er formand for Samsø kommunes tekniske afdeling:

“Som VEØ bevæger vi os hele tiden ude på grænsen for hvad der er muligt. Det gælder om hele tiden at forfølge de politiske åbninger, som kan skabe muligheder for beskæftigelse og vækst i en VEØ-sammenhæng, og skønt vi afsætter penge fra vores eget budget er vi økonomisk afhængige af den nationale goodwill overfor vedvarende energi. Forliget sætter de rammer, som vi kan navigere indenfor, og de har stor betydning for samsingernes hverdag.”

Fri, bundet eller et sted midt imellem?
Den afhængighed og sårbarhed blev blandt andet tydelig, da Fogh-regeringen i 2002-forliget trak mange af tilskuddene til grøn energi tilbage. Det gjorde at VEØ-projektet på Samsø kun med nød og næppe overlevede, og Søren Hermansen frygter at det kommende energiforlig vil basere sig på lignende, liberale tankegange:

”Hvis energisektoren centraliseres, mister vi muligheden for at styrke lokalsamfundene. De borgerlige politikere ønsker at bygge kæmpe vindmølleøer og sende tingene i budrunder for at få den bedste pris. Men hvad nytter den lavere pris, hvis et udenlandsk firma får opgaven og vi så mister arbejdspladser herhjemme? Så glipper det lokale ejerskab.”

Projektleder for kommunikation Malene Lundén er optaget af emnet afhængighed versus uafhængighed i forbindelse med det kommende energiforlig. Hun mener at afhængigheden ikke behøver være af det dårlige, men at den skal eksistere der, hvor det gavner sammenhængskraften blandt mennesker, og ikke kapitalismen:

”Spørgsmålet er om dette energiforlig bliver dikteret af fællesskabet, eller af markedet? Som civilisation har vi arbejdet os hen imod en form for uafhængighed, hvor vi skal eje alting selv, men på nogle planer gør uafhængighed os faktisk dummere. Afhængighed gør os klogere som mennesker. Når man er afhængig er der noget helt andet på spil. Der er en social bevidsthed, som bliver meget mere stimuleret, når vi er afhængige af hverandre i forhold til ressourcer. Det er der, hvor det brede forlig kan noget skelsættende, det tydeliggør nemlig at vi har brug for alle i ligningen. At forskellighed fremmer samarbejdet i at alle skal være enige.”

For Steen Gade ville det optimale energiforlig være et, der tog højde for både de globale ambitioner og det lokale ejerskab. Og det burde anspore en folkelig debat, anført af græsrødder og politikere, hvor sandheden kom på bordet:

”Vi risikerer en modsætning mellem de store ambitioner om at anlægge kæmpe vindmølleparker kontra noget meget lokalt. De to ting kan sagtens forenes, men det kræver at folk opmuntres lokalt til at kombinere solenergi, vindkraft og brint – der skal laves flere lokale initiativer om lokal lagring af energi. Min bekymring er at denne modsætning kan blive et konfliktpunkt. I stedet bør vi sige det, som det er: At Danmark langtfra er en klimaduks, og at hver enkelt danskers Co2 forbrug er blandt de højeste i verden. Oliekrisen i 70’erne skabte grundlag for en folkelig debat. Nu står vi i en tilsvarende krise, hvor vi skal omlægge hele vores energisektor. Hvordan gør vi det? Ved at begynde og tale om det.”

Tidslinje – afgørende forlig gennem tiden:

1894: Den danske forligstradition modnes med forliget mellem Venstre og Højre i en sej kamp for en finanslovsaftale.

1933: Kanslergadeforliget betegner 1930’ernes største politisk-økonomiske forlig, hvor det lykkes statsminister Thorkild Stauning at få partierne til at samarbejde bredt til trods for stor social uro i landet.

1980’erne: Danmarks første energiforligsaftaler indgås ansporet af energikriserne i 70’erne. Igennem de næste årtier arbejder man på at gøre Danmark selvforsynende med energi, og landet opnår en global førerposition indenfor vindkraft. Målsætningen nås i maj 1998.

2002: Fogh-regeringen står for et energiforlig hvor der for første gang skæres hårdt i støtten til vedvarende energi. De efterfølgende år bryder med traditionen for langstrakte forlig og man indgår aftaler, der står til genforhandling jævnligt.

2012: Der indgås et historisk bredt energiforlig og begge politiske fløje bliver enige om at gøre Danmark fossilfrit i 2050. Forliget løber indtil 2020 men kræves genforhandlet i 2017. Forhandlingen har regeringen imidlertid udskudt til starten af 2018.

Til inspiration:

Kan vi danskere lære af noget af den svenske regering? Den bruger fællessang til at styrke det politiske samarbejde, når der skal træffes afgørende beslutninger på en hel nations vegne:

Se energi- og klimaminister Lars Christian Lilleholt i dialog med Søren Hermansen om energiforliget i Debatten:

 

TJEK UD MED ENERGIAKADEMIET – det lavede vi også i efteråret:

– 20 års fejring af Danmarks Vedvarende Energi Ø og “Det store trut “:

 

– Oplæg i Estland om “Nordens Asien”:

 

– Besøg af arabisk tv: Tv-selskabet Manoto besøgte Samsø 4. og 5. september 2017 i forbindelse med udsendelsen Money Matters Show: 

 

Dette sker i det nye år:

– Nyt EU projekt: Dette projekt vil vise 9 forskellige smart grid teknologier på 3 forskellige øer:
http://www.h2020smile.eu/partners/

Nyt partnerskab imellem Green Learning programs og Energiakademiets uddannelsesafdeling:
Green Learning Programs har i samarbejde med Samsø Energiakademi designet et 10 dages studieprogram for at fremme bæredygtig udvikling og community power. Der vil være 3 hele dages samarbejde med Energiakademiet, og uddannelsen vil være sat sammen af workshops, forelæsninger baseret på erfaringsdeling, IPad-læring og ekskursioner. Programmet videreudvikler også FNs 2030 Agenda for global bæredygtig udvikling. GreenLearningPrograms_Windmill_A5_LowRes_Folder

Nytårslur på Samsø Energiakademi den 2 februar: Traditionen tro, kom og del en eftermiddag med gæster udefra og gæster fra Samsø. Tag din nabo med og få fyldt alle depoterne op med grin, gråd og latter. Annonceringen finder sted i det nye år. Men vi kan løfte slørret for at Steen Gade allerede har meldt sin ankomst.

Samtalesalon i København: I det gamle år etablerede Energiakademiet sine første samtalesaloner i fællesskabet Klub ved Nørreport, og vi fortsætter succesen i 2018. Den første samtale vil tage udgangspunkt i filminstruktør Peter Engbergs behandling af temaet Holding on and letting go, og den præcise dato vil blive annonceret på vores forskellige platforme. Emnerne tager udgangspunkt i blogindlæggene på Den Positive Forandring, se www.denpositiveforandring.dk

 

The situation we’re in right now can be compared to the Oil Crisis in the 1970’s, where we Danes had a common enemy. We found out that we were all dependent on a global market, and that made us all wake up. The change that took place gave Danes a new view of our common energy resources, which led to the need to produce our own energy. As a people, we learned that good kinds of addiction added to the value of working together.”

Steen Gade, politician and columnist

 

BUT FIRST A HOLIDAY GREETING FROM ALL OF US TO ALL OF YOU:

Is your home insulated, is the room temperature ready for Christmas Eve, and do you have weather stripping on your windows so you can keep your feet warm?

Some of us may have to find the cash to pay for insulating our homes or switching out the oil furnace with a heat pump. In the big scheme of things, our entire energy system is also undergoing a change.

There are strong winds of change blowing across Denmark during these cold winter days. One of these winds is “Big Business,” which raises the question of how ownership of resources affects our daily lives.

If we take a look at certain aspects of our energy production, the cooperative model is undergoing change. That’s why in this Christmas greeting we’re sending out an appeal to everyone to think about what it will mean for our future energy production when only a few people own the resources for production. Who can explain the interests of multinational corporations for Mr. and Mrs. Denmark when they don’t understand why prices are rising, and what it basically means when the local electric utility is owned by another country?

We trust that the upcoming Energy Agreement in the Danish Parliament will provide sufficient answers to these questions. As consumers, we need to understand the current real challenges affecting the ownership structure of our energy systems, and we need to protect the Danish Cooperative Movement when dealing with the distribution of our common resources in our future energy landscape.

Denmark’s Renewable Energy Island is in constant transformation, yet Samsø still proves that a decentralized structure provides good livelihoods. That’s why we would like to thank all of you around the world for your unyielding support of and participation in a community that promotes smart choices and decisions for the next generation.

We wish you a Happy New Year – you are all making a positive difference for everyone on Samsø in terms of how they view themselves, and the attraction of the island has to the outside world.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from everyone at Samsø Energy Academy.

 

And now:

When the Danish government presents in the beginning of 2018 its new Energy Agreement, it will be according to the Danish tradition of political cooperation. Since the end of the 1800’s, such agreements as political tools have promoted action across party lines. In contrast to the U.S., for instance, Denmark has a multiparty system which in most cases makes the ruling government dependent on support from the other parties in order to achieve political stability and the best compromises possible.

What is a Parliamentary Agreement, and why is it so important to have an agreement for the energy sector?
“Everyone needs to be in agreement about how to go about things so our collective resources are managed for the common good,” explains former Member of Parliament for the Socialist Party, Steen Gade. “Good Parliamentary Agreements are clear and long-term, running over the course of several government administrations, and we stick to the agreement, even though we may otherwise have different points of view. Most parties have realized that for important core areas such as energy for instance, we need to have a broad agreement. Voters may find it odd that there isn’t a noticeable change when a new government comes into power, but it is precisely because of these long-term agreements which already exist that allows the government to govern without much disruption. Lobbyists and grassroots organizations can also influence a Parliamentary Agreement, and especially the latter are important for intoducing debates and keeping politicians connected to the voters.”

With its increasing consumption after the Second World War, Western countries became dependent on large amounts of particularly Middle East oil. Due to wars and boycotts, the price of oil rose dramatically in 1973 and 1979. Countries such as Denmark began to rely on its own production of energy, including renewable energy. Ever since the Oil Crisis shook Denmark, we’ve had since the 1980’s an Energy Agreement which ensured the country’s continued production of energy.

What happens when the Energy Agreement is delayed?
The upcoming Energy Agreement differs from numerous previous agreements due to its delay. The current Energy Agreement from 2012 says that the agreement will be renegotiated during 2017, and citizens, industry, NGO’s and politicians are still waiting for a draft agreement from the current government. There are consequences:
“When the government fails to propose a broad agreement, politicians begin to create small groups to come up with patchwork solutions. For instance, the Social Liberals and the Danish People’s Party want to reduce electricity tariffs by reducing and eliminating various taxes. It may seem like a good idea due to the lack of government action, but it would be much better if there was a synergy with the overall Energy Agreement,” says Søren Hermansen.

Yet the wait for the new agreement doesn’t only lead to political turmoil. It also means that Denmark is losing important economic momentum:
“In 1997, when Samsø became Denmark’s Renewable Energy Island, political parties and the banks were willing to risk supporting and counting on the project, because there was an overall framework and a broad national agreement from the conservative parties that signaled that what we’re doing isn’t a threat. Now, when there currently isn’t national support for such projects, it’s more difficult for municipalities and the financial sector to make a commitment to invest. We need a long-term Energy Agreement that is in balance with achieving goals that extend beyond the next parliamentary elections,” says Søren Hermansen.

The local significance of the Energy Agreement
On November 21st, Samsø had a historic municipal election. For the first time ever, the island elected a socialist majority. Despite the fact that support for renewable energy will continue and Samsø’s status as Denmark’s Renewable Energy Island already means that a good portion of the municipal budget will be spent on energy initiatives, a broadly supported national Energy Agreement is still of great significance for Samsø:
“As Denmark’s Renewable Energy Island, we are continually reaching the limits of what is possible. We have to constantly pursue political openings that create opportunities for jobs and growth within the Renewable Energy Island context. Despite the fact that we use money from our own budget, we’re economically dependent on the national goodwill towards renewable energy. The Energy Agreement creates the framework within which we can navigate, and it has great significance for the residents of Samsø,” according to Michael Kristensen, Chair of Samsø Municipality’s Technical Department.

Free, tied, or a place in between?
Our dependence and vulnerability became apparent during the Fogh Administration’s 2002 Energy Agreement, which abolished many of the green energy subsidies. This resulted in the Samsø’s Renewable Energy Island project barely surviving, and Søren Hermansen fears that the upcoming Energy Agreement will be based on similar free-market ideology:
“If the energy sector is centralized, we will lose the opportunity to strengthen our local community. Conservative politicians want to build massive wind turbine islands and send the construction contracts to competitive bidding to get the lowest price. But what’s the use of the lowest price if a foreign company wins the bid and we lose jobs at home? We then lose local ownership.”

Project Manager for Communications, Malene Lundén, is focused on the subject of dependency versus independence in conjunction with the upcoming Energy Agreement. She feels that dependency doesn’t have to be bad, but that it should be in a context that benefits interdependence among people and not capitalism:
“The question is whether or not the Energy Agreement will be dictated by the community or the market? As a civilization, we have worked towards a kind of independence where we own everything ourselves, yet on a certain level independence makes us dumber. Dependency makes us smarter as people. When we are dependent, totally different things come into play. There’s our social consciousness which becomes much more stimulated when we are dependent on each other in relation to resources. This is where a broad agreement can make a real difference by making it more apparent that we need everyone to make it work. Our differences promote working together, because we all have to be in agreement.”

For Steen Gade, the optimal Energy Agreement would be one that took into account both global ambitions and local ownership. And it should encourage public debate, led by grassroots organizations and politicians, where the truth comes out:
“We risk a contradiction between big ambitions about creating giant wind turbine farms and something very local. The two things can definitely be combined, but it requires that people are encouraged on the local level to combine solar energy, wind energy, and hydrogen – there needs to be more local initiatives to store energy locally. I’m worried that this contradiction can become a point of conflict. Instead, we should tell it like it is: That Denmark is far from being the best in terms of climate change, that the individual Dane’s CO2 emissions are among the highest in the world. The Oil Crisis in the 1970’s created the foundation for public debate. We’re now in the middle of a similar crisis where we have to reconfigure our entire energy sector. How are we going to do that? By starting to talk about it.”

Timeline – Significant Agreements throughout time:
1894: The Danish tradition of Parliamentary Agreements is developed through the agreement between the Liberals and the Right Party in a tough battle for a Finance Law.

1933: The “Chancellor Street Agreement” characterizes the largest political/economic agreement of the 1930’s, where Prime Minister Thorkild Stauning managed to get the various political parties to work together despite great social upheaval in the country.

1980s: Denmark’s first Energy Agreement is adopted, spurred on by the 1970’s energy crisis. Through the following decades, the goal was to make Denmark energy self-sufficient, and the country becomes the world leader in terms of wind energy. The goal was reach in May 1998.

2002: The Fogh Administration is behind an Energy Agreement where for the first time there are major cuts to subsidies for renewable energy. The following years break with tradition for long-term Agreements, with agreements requiring frequent renegotiation.

2012: An historically broad Energy Agreement is adopted by both socialist and conservative parties to make Denmark fossil fuel free by 2050. The Agreement runs until 2020, but requires renegotiation in 2017. The Administration delays negotiations until the beginning of 2018.

For inspiration:

Can Danes learn something from the Swedish government? Singing in unison is used to strengthen political cooperation when important decisions are made on behalf of the entire nation:

 

Watch the dialog between Energy and Climate Minister Lars Christian Lilleholt and Søren Hermansen about the Energy Agreement in the TV program “Debatten” (in Danish):

CHECKING OUT AT SAMSØ ENERGY ACADEMY – what we did this past fall:

– Celebrating 20 years as Denmark’s Renewable Energy Island and “the big horn”:

 

– Presentation in Estonia about “Asia of the Nordics”:

– Visit from Arabic television: The television company Manoto visited Samsø from the 4 to the 5 of September 2017 for the broadcast Money Matters Show:

 

.. and this will happen in the new year:

– New EU project: Nine different smart grid technologies on three different islands:
http://www.h2020smile.eu/partners/

– New partnership between Green Learning programs and Samsø Energy Academy’s Education Department: Green Learning Programs has in collaboration with Samsø Energy Academy designed a 10 days short-term study program to promote sustainable development and community power. Three whole days of interaction with our partner Samsø Energy Academy – the education will be a variety of workshops, lectures based on knowledge sharing, iPad education and out-and-see. The program also advances the UN’s 2030 Agenda for global sustainability development.
GreenLearningPrograms_Windmill_A5_LowRes_Folder

The New Year’s Nap on The Samsø Energy Academy: As always you are very welcome to share an afternoon with us and guests from the island and abroad. Bring your neighbour and fill up on laughter, tears and smiles as we celebrate on the 2 of February. The announcement for the event will be made in the new year. We can already now promise you that Steen Gade is going to attend.

Conversation salons in Copenhagen: Already in 2017 the Energy Academy established its first conversations salons in the Klub community in Copenhagen near Nørreport, and the success continues in 2018. The first conversation will be based on a blog post with the theme Holding on and letting go by movie instructor Peter Engberg.