Some years ago I embarked on a journey of a lifetime. I was sent to Greenland to document in words and pictures the everyday operations of the country's national airline, which provides an indispensable service to every corner of the land. For nearly two weeks I had the jump-seat between the pilots, from where I experienced some of the most awesome sights I could imagine. From my perch, I witnessed spectacular fjords, huge ice floes, mammoth areas of sea ice, vibrant farming and of course, the world famous ice sheet that spawns the largest icebergs on the planet. I visited everything from the tiniest villages to their thriving capital city' of Nuuk - Gothåb in Danish, Good Hope in English. It was then home to just over 10,000 people. Today it boasts a population of almost 17,000. Greenland is the largest island and least densely populated land on this planet. Its 57,000 inhabitants are spread over an area the size of Western Europe, most of them forging a life in communities along the fjords and west coast.
At that time I was well aware of the diesel-fired power plants that provided power for many of the villages and towns. In 1990 construction began on a hydroelectric project at Nuuk. The unit was commissioned in 1993.
Most of these outposts are accessible only by boat, aircraft (fixed-wing and helicopter) or dog team depending on the weather. Because villages and camps are so spread out, it's necessary for each to provide its own electrical power and distributes it via a microgrid to a local district heating network. Historically, this energy has been generated by diesel-fired power plants, which require costly imports of fossil fuel. The gennies became the biggest single contributor to the island's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The answer is renewables. During the past few years Greenland has been replacing its diesel power plants and using its vast resources of glacial meltwater to generate lower cost hydropower. It reduces the country's dependence on fossil fuels and is helping to significantly lower GHGs. Today there are five hydroelectric plants that supply six cities including:
- Nuuk - 1993 - west coast about 220 km south of the Arctic Circle
- Tasiilaq - 2004 - east coast, 100 km south of the Arctic Circle
- Qorlortorsuaq - 2007 - near the southern tip of the country some 600 km from Arctic Circle
- Sisimiut - 2010 - west coast approximately 240 km north of Arctic Circle
- Ilulissat - 2013 - west coast nearly 400 km north of Arctic Circle
Descriptions of Greenland's hydroelectric system:
- The Buksefjord hydroelectric power plant is the first and largest of its kind in the country. It was built by Nuuk-Kraft and is operated by Nukissiorfiit - Greenland's national energy company. It is located 600 metres inside a mountain and consists of 14 kilometres of tunnels. An upper reservoir is situated 249 metres over the sea level at Bukesfjord. Due to damming and a deep inlet the effective volume is six times more than the annual water consumption by the plant. From the reservoir, a 10.5 kilometre long inlet pressure tunnel provides the fast-running water to spin the turbines. Originally, the plant had two turbines with a capacity of 15 MW each. In 2008, a third with the same capacity was installed. The generated power is transmitted to Nuuk over a57 kilometre-long power line, which includes the Ameralik Span, the world's longest.
- Owned and operated by Nukissiorfiit, Tasiilaq Hydro power plant substitutes three diesel generators. The power generated is 1200 kW and is used for lighting and heating purposes. It is also capable of parallel and load sharing with the diesel units if needed. It operates by falling water from a main reservoir that is located approximately 2000 metres upstream of a second reservoir. The water flow is controlled in accordance with the power demands and every effort is made to keep the water level at the intake stable and within engineering limits. The water is diverted by a 1200 metre-long penstock from the intake at the reservoir and then returned to the sea by a 50 metre-long tailrace canal. Flow rate is 1.662 cubic metres per second.
- Qorlortorsuaq Dam has a capacity of 7.2 MW and feeds several towns in its immediate vicinity. It is a concrete gravity dam with a height of 15 metres and crest length of 80 metres. It creates a reservoir with a capacity of 108 million cubic metres. Its tunnel length is 245 metres and pressure pipe is also 245 metres. Flow rate is 3.9 cubic metres per second. The power plant has two horizontal axis turbines with a total installed capacity of 7.6 MW. Annual generation is 27 GWh. Together with the power plant a 70 kilometre high voltage (70 kV) line to Qaqortoq and Narsaq was erected - more than a two kilometre span. The plant is part of the Greenland Home Rule government designed to replace fossil fuelled energy production and storage with sustainable power production.
- Located on the west coast, Sisimiut Power Plant was commissioned in 2010. The initial capacity of the concrete constructed project is 15 MW. Run by Nukissiorfiit, it is the second largest in the country and can produce 58 GWh annually. The plant contains a tunnel 4,700 metres in length and a pressure pipe of 400 metres. The altitude difference is 78.6 metres and produced electricity is transmitted along a newly erected 27.4 kilometre 60 kV high voltage line. Working with a loan from the Greenland Self Rule government, Palle Christiansen, the Minister of Finance says, "There are several reasons for investing in hydropower in Greenland, from an environmental and financial point of view. We save money by reducing oil imports for the diesel generators. Hydropower provides cheaper energy for the government and consumers. Large infrastructure projects also create employment and keep the wheels of our economy turning."
- The latest of their renewable projects is a 22.5 MW hydropower plant for the town of Ilulissat sitting on the west coast and the third largest community in Greenland. It is here where the largest icebergs are spawned and fed into Disko Bay where they push and grind against each other in a fight to get into the Davis Strait. The plant replaces an existing diesel-fired unit and provides ample power for the town for lighting and heating. It houses a complete electrical and control solution and includes high- and medium-voltage switchgear, protection and control devices, telecommunications and CCTV systems, and SCADA acquisition. The plant is unmanned and located in an isolated fjord 45 kilometres from the town of Ilulissat. If a fault were to occur during harsh winter conditions, access would be impossible for days or weeks necessitating the re-firing of the old diesel-driven power plant.
As a result of the hydropower plants almost 70 percent of Greenland's electricity is now generated by emission-free. "It is unrealistic that we will ever reach 100 percent," states Mr. Christiansen. "Our aim is that wherever it is possible to produce renewable energy, we should rely on that for electricity."
Greenland's strategic development reflects the objective of an even more environmentally friendly/greener energy. It is introducing small wind power parks in order to supply energy to those areas inaccessible by electricity cables. Some experts feel that solar has a future due to the long summer hours.
In addition, the country has inaugurated its first hydrogen plant for renewable energy storage. The mobile unit is now in operation outside the power utility's headquarters in Nuuk. The test plant uses electricity from hydro to electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is stored for later conversion into electricity and heat in a fuel cell, on demand. Excess heat from both hydrogen production and the fuel cell can be used for heating while the electricity can be fed into the grid.
I definitely tip my hat to the development of green in Greenland.
