Innovation Island Bornholm
A full-scale renewable energy laboratory serving 28.000 customers.
A platform for developing, testing, and showcasing green energy innovations
For more than 20 years, Bornholm has been a hub for developing, testing, and showcasing green energy technologies, managing projects worth €100 million. Today, we’re part of a DKK 650 million project portfolio. We reach out to all Bornholmers as a local multi-utility company. Bornholm Energy and Supply produces electricity and district heating, serves as the main water supplier, and treats wastewater. Innovation Island includes 5 district heating systems, 4 of which delivering directly to consumers, and operates entirely on 100% renewable-based electricity and heatings.
A real-world energy system and demonstration site for smart grid technologies
Bornholm is one of the best places in the world to test new renewable energy technology. Danish universities and companies, as well as multinational giants like Danfoss, Siemens, and IBM, are already using Bornholm as a test island.
We are a modern multi-utility company. That’s why we focus on an intelligent and green transition of our society. And that’s why we invite and inspire others to come work with us and become part of this success story. We are happy to share our project experience, our knowledge, a living lab, various simulation models, and data.
Sector Coupling
Several of the projects are pilot tests involving multiple sectors, such as wastewater treatment plants, the power grid, or district heating and the power grid.
Covering an area, population, and consumption equivalent to 1 % of Denmark
Covering an area, population, and energy consumption equivalent to 1% of Denmark, Innovation Island Bornholm integrates diverse distributed energy resources such as wind power, solar PV, combined heat and power, electric vehicles, biogas, and district heating. Additionally, it features islanding operation capability and is seamlessly integrated with the Control Center Lab at PowerLabDK.
Heating
We produce district heating to 12.000 homes, based on 100% biomass—6,700 supplied by us and 5,000 supplied by Rønne Vand og Varme.
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Energy Production
100% of our electricity production, under normal conditions, comes from solar, wind, and biomass.
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Residents
39,000 residents form a complete, and fully functional societal model ready for testing.
Customers
Number of Customers (Electricity)
Number of customers (>100.000 kWh/year)
Total GWh Consumed
Peak Load (MW)
The energy data from Bornholm is integrated into the PowerLabDK facilities enabling advanced smart grid research
Innovation Island Bornholm additionally features islanding operation capability and is seamlessly integrated with the Control Center Lab at PowerLabDK at DTU, Lyngby. This provides unique testing and research opportunities based on real-world energy data and consumption patterns.
Innovation, Bornholm Energy and Utility
The Department of Innovation at Bornholm Energy and Utility operates Innovation Island Bornholm. The team comprises dedicated specialists, including technicians, engineers, and developers. Each project is led by a dedicated project lead and co-project lead, supported by a team leader, project administrator, and communications consultant. Together, they form a robust team that drives projects forward, ensuring quality and successful completion.
Our mission is to explore and demonstrate new technologies and solutions that drive the green transition. Through experiments and projects, we investigate how innovative energy solutions can optimize supply and sustainability. With Bornholm as a demonstration island—small enough for implementation but large enough for real production and delivery of green energy—we help shape the smart energy systems of the future.
Contact
Maria Hach, Team Lead
mah@beof.dk
