5 ms·

This article reads like PR. No content about the power plant, just praise for making it a fake ski slope. > what is possibly the greenest power plant in the wo

This article reads like PR. No content about the power plant, just praise for making it a fake ski slope. > what is possibly the greenest power plant in the world That's a bold claim with no evidence. They're burning trash. How could that possibly be the greenest power plant in the world?

juanjmanfredi 7y ago
I share your skepticism. Waste-to-energy plants produce ash, and I can't imagine people will enjoy skiing in polluted air. If anyone knows where to find more technical details about how this plant works, and what makes it "the greenest power plant in the world", I would be curious to take a look.
- haasted 7y ago
  There are some technical details here, albeit in an advertorial format: http://www.volund.dk/Waste_to_Energy/References/ARC_Amager_Bakke_Copenhagen http://www.volund.dk/Waste_to_Energy/References/ARC_Amager_B... The plant is located very close to downtown Copenhagen, and there is no ash issue.
- pmjordan 7y ago
  Although waste will be produced, that doesn't mean it's emitted into the air. There is a famous waste burning plant[1] (~6MW) within the city of Vienna, and which is near residential buildings and supplies the nearby general hospital with energy. The waste gases are thoroughly processed and filtered. It emits CO2 of course but it certainly wouldn't be permitted to operate at that location if it produced anything more immediately harmful to the surrounding population. [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Müllverbrennungsanlage_Spittelau https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Müllverbrennungsanlage_Spittel...
  - craftinator 7y ago
    Certainly not!
- nanomonkey 7y ago
  There are minerals that you can add that cause ash to turn into a glassy slag for later removal. You can also use a cyclonic collector similar to what is used in bagless vacuum cleaners to capture any particle that are contained in the gas, not to mention filters for removing sulfur and any other harmful chemicals that might harm the turbines that burn the resultant syngas as fuel.
- dzhiurgis 7y ago
  It's probably plasma gasification plant which produces slag which in turn is used in paving roads, etc. Personally I've looked what is slag consist of as it doesn't seem like it could be very green, but so far looks like good idea.
simonbw 7y ago
It's covered in grass so maybe they meant literally "greenest" as a joke.
- dresstotheleft 7y ago
  *Plastic
hjek 7y ago
> This article reads like PR. Dane here. I agree strongly. The plant is likely to be burning imported wood pellets as well, because its capacity is way above the amount of available waste[0]. So-called "biofuel". It's quite controversial, to say the least[1]. This is similar to what Drax (largest CO2 emitter in the UK) did to wiggle around the phase-out of coal and to get in on those subsidies for green energy, which apparently includes importing wood from forests in the US, because some clever lobbyists has ensured it qualifies as "green". [0]: https://ing.dk/artikel/trods-advarsler-koebenhavnere-faar-milliardregning-amager-bakke-178433 https://ing.dk/artikel/trods-advarsler-koebenhavnere-faar-mi... [1]: https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/ https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/
- qiqitori 7y ago
  It's the goodnewsnetwork, so it's not likely to be PR. It's just a news network that covers what the editors perceive to be good news. I just recently happened across an investment brochure for wood pellets (produced in Germany). The projected returns are pretty good, and the brochure definitely marketed them as "green" (renewable and carbon-neutral (if you plant enough new trees), local (if you consume them locally)). I don't read Danish, but surely the power company will at some point be able to provide information on what percentage of their fuel (in the last year) was municipal waste and what part was e.g. "biofuel". Speculating just based on the amount of waste produced in Copenhagen (or Denmark) and the power plant's capacity doesn't appear very fruitful to me, because if your plant is capable of handling municipal waste and has more capacity than available waste, you could just as well import waste from other countries and turn that into electricity. (Depending on distance, burning pellets may of course be cheaper, as they have more energy per cubic meter. But pellets cost money, and treating waste for others makes money)
aaron695 7y ago
It is the color green. It's covered in grass, albeit artificial. The ski course is green in summer. "That’s right. Last weekend in Copenhagen, an 8-year dream was realized when the first paying skiers took their runs down a one-third-mile course, wrapping around what is possibly the greenest power plant in the world." "A hybrid between a building and a landscape, the huge glass and mirrored structure contains planters covering the façade in a checkerboard pattern that might one day give the illusion of a GREEN mountain from every direction"

juanjmanfredi 7y ago

I share your skepticism. Waste-to-energy plants produce ash, and I can't imagine people will enjoy skiing in polluted air. If anyone knows where to find more technical details about how this plant works, and what makes it "the greenest power plant in the world", I would be curious to take a look.

haasted 7y ago
There are some technical details here, albeit in an advertorial format: http://www.volund.dk/Waste_to_Energy/References/ARC_Amager_Bakke_Copenhagen http://www.volund.dk/Waste_to_Energy/References/ARC_Amager_B... The plant is located very close to downtown Copenhagen, and there is no ash issue.
pmjordan 7y ago
Although waste will be produced, that doesn't mean it's emitted into the air. There is a famous waste burning plant[1] (~6MW) within the city of Vienna, and which is near residential buildings and supplies the nearby general hospital with energy. The waste gases are thoroughly processed and filtered. It emits CO2 of course but it certainly wouldn't be permitted to operate at that location if it produced anything more immediately harmful to the surrounding population. [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Müllverbrennungsanlage_Spittelau https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Müllverbrennungsanlage_Spittel...
- craftinator 7y ago
  Certainly not!
nanomonkey 7y ago
There are minerals that you can add that cause ash to turn into a glassy slag for later removal. You can also use a cyclonic collector similar to what is used in bagless vacuum cleaners to capture any particle that are contained in the gas, not to mention filters for removing sulfur and any other harmful chemicals that might harm the turbines that burn the resultant syngas as fuel.
dzhiurgis 7y ago
It's probably plasma gasification plant which produces slag which in turn is used in paving roads, etc. Personally I've looked what is slag consist of as it doesn't seem like it could be very green, but so far looks like good idea.

simonbw 7y ago

It's covered in grass so maybe they meant literally "greenest" as a joke.

dresstotheleft 7y ago
*Plastic

hjek 7y ago

> This article reads like PR. Dane here. I agree strongly. The plant is likely to be burning imported wood pellets as well, because its capacity is way above the amount of available waste[0]. So-called "biofuel". It's quite controversial, to say the least[1]. This is similar to what Drax (largest CO2 emitter in the UK) did to wiggle around the phase-out of coal and to get in on those subsidies for green energy, which apparently includes importing wood from forests in the US, because some clever lobbyists has ensured it qualifies as "green". [0]: https://ing.dk/artikel/trods-advarsler-koebenhavnere-faar-milliardregning-amager-bakke-178433 https://ing.dk/artikel/trods-advarsler-koebenhavnere-faar-mi... [1]: https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/ https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/

qiqitori 7y ago
It's the goodnewsnetwork, so it's not likely to be PR. It's just a news network that covers what the editors perceive to be good news. I just recently happened across an investment brochure for wood pellets (produced in Germany). The projected returns are pretty good, and the brochure definitely marketed them as "green" (renewable and carbon-neutral (if you plant enough new trees), local (if you consume them locally)). I don't read Danish, but surely the power company will at some point be able to provide information on what percentage of their fuel (in the last year) was municipal waste and what part was e.g. "biofuel". Speculating just based on the amount of waste produced in Copenhagen (or Denmark) and the power plant's capacity doesn't appear very fruitful to me, because if your plant is capable of handling municipal waste and has more capacity than available waste, you could just as well import waste from other countries and turn that into electricity. (Depending on distance, burning pellets may of course be cheaper, as they have more energy per cubic meter. But pellets cost money, and treating waste for others makes money)

aaron695 7y ago

It is the color green. It's covered in grass, albeit artificial. The ski course is green in summer. "That’s right. Last weekend in Copenhagen, an 8-year dream was realized when the first paying skiers took their runs down a one-third-mile course, wrapping around what is possibly the greenest power plant in the world." "A hybrid between a building and a landscape, the huge glass and mirrored structure contains planters covering the façade in a checkerboard pattern that might one day give the illusion of a GREEN mountain from every direction"