On this subject we think that the policy, affected by the latest international events, has something to do with this matter. In Denmark the conservative right wing, Jutland being the base of their support,won the last elections.
Concerning this, and apart from differences, on both sides, people are worried about the drift to the right that is impelling the government. Evidently, it is practicing a class and conservative policy; it is worth mentioning the presence of Danish troops in Iraq. Denmark has sent a division of its Navy to Iraqian land, and the declarations of his president are that they would not have objections in sending more soldiers.

Leaving the controversies to one side, we must say that we are pleasantly surprised with the welcome in Jutland. We needed to connect to Internet, and we stopped in a little village; where, after passing by the information bureau, they sent us to the school! Still surprised, we saw ourselves within the scholastic enclosure surrounded by children who were playing rolling on the ground… and without even asking any questions, they let us use the computers of the library next to the children.
And that was not all. In the FolkeCenter it was the same.We were warmly welcomed and given a lot of help.

Small towns and dispersed farms are scattered around the impressive landscape of these rural surroundings. Located in the west coast of the country, it receives the visit of a multitude of Germans tourists who go to camp sites (impeccable) along these coasts. It is a rich and fertile land and apparently they live quite comfortably here, in this peacefulness. And when we speak of European tranquillity, we mean total calm and tranquillity.
Its not surprising that most of the young people who we knew expressed their desire to go to Copenhagen to study. To leave the small towns in Jutland with two taverns for the atmosphere that is offered by the great city.


The nightlife in Jutland was peculiar. Besides the capital of the region, Åhrus, everything is small towns that have few taverns and places to go.They all know each other, which creates a very homely and private atmosphere. It goes without saying that we were considered strange within that night time atmosphere.But, for us a strange thing to see was the dance style of the villagers.To see, a couple holding hands dancing to a song of Metallica in Denmark, was incredible. If we mixed a bit of Twist and a Tango, the result would be something similar to their jutlander dance. The rhythm of the song is not the important part.

We did what the young people want to do, we left Jutland and went to Copenhagen, intending to spend a couple of days before flying towards Iceland.
After a trip of 5 hours by train we arrived at the Central Station of Copenhagen, where Maria and Balder were waiting for us. They really looked after us. Thank you very much to both of them.

Once installed, in an immigrant area, we went to look around the capital. To take a walk in this city, full of bicycles and beautiful people is our first recommendation. The lakes, birds, green spaces, sculptures, the famous "Little Mermaid"… and the famous attacks that she receives. And it is because of the latest of these attacks that we could not see the sculpture. A couple of days before our arrival in the capital the "Little Mermaid" underwent another aggression, somebody had put an explosive device under her. It is surprising but nobody looked too indignant, and it means that it is normal to have the sculpture in the "factory" for restoration, since in the last years it has undergone several attacks.
In the last attack it´s not clear what happened, but we were told the tale of a previous aggression. It was a photographer eager for an exclusive. He hit the sculpture hard with a hammer. Then, he took a few snapshots from the crippled siren,thus becoming the first person to obtain the photos. Also he would be the first one in being jailed, shortly after,for this cause.

Danish people like to look after their surroundings, but they have a big problem in this matter -apart from the reticence that their Government shows in these matters – and that is the proximity of a nuclear power station.
As we commented in the technical part of the report, the Danish population fought for the no implantation of nuclear energy in the country- The popular image of the sun of "Nuclear? No, thanks" is theirs and they achieved it. Nowadays there is no nuclear power station in Denmark, and what is very important: they were able not to depend on this type of energy. But a black cloud is on its horizon in the form of a nuclear power station, in Swedish land. Only 20 kilometres separate the coasts of Sweden and Denmark. From the docks of Copenhagen the Swedish coast can be seen perfectly, and unfortunately the ungraceful nuclear power station can also be seen. A situation similar to that of Basque Country with the nuclear power station of Garoña, in Burgos (Spain).

Returning to the capital, on one of our walks we paid attention to the kiosks and we realized that in the majority of publications there was a great coverage of the royal family (newspapers and sensationalist press)
We asked our friends about this and the answer was that the Queen is very popular with the Danish society.
It was during the Nazi invasion, when the Monarchy gained this good reputation. While the government and the institutions submitted to the demands of the invaders, the Danish monarchy stayed firm against the Nazi oppression. The interest that is aroused from the news,” the Queen gives her approval her son´s new relationship, proves that the people still maintain their affection for the Monarchy gained through that resistance.

It is not surprising that Christiania was the chapter that caused most interest to us in our visit to Copenhagen, for the international fame of this district. Thanks to Balder we got to know it more closely.
This well-known free district has been alive for more than 25 years in the centre of Copenhagen.
Everything began in 1971, when a group of people occupied the abandoned territory of Grey Hall, "induced by their ideas of anarchy and love". They were interested in the possibility of enjoying green space and recreation areas for the children.Thus what nowadays is a small town within the city arose. With its own rules and organization; they are exempt from paying the local taxes; they work together to cover their necessities, they respect their surroundings, and the decisions are taken through common agreement, (not by majority) in an assembly composed of all the neighbours. These would be the distinguishing characteristics of Christiania.

The history of Christiania is full of conflicts with the authorities. The number of times the City council of Copenhagen and of the Central Government have tried to make Christiania disappear are innumerable. Prohibitions,a thousand laws,military occupation… of everything have been suffered by those that wanted and want to live their own way. Only for that reason: they don’t want to pass through the mesh imposed by the authorities and their model of society.

Everything has been used against them, but above all the subject of drugs. In Christiania marijuana is legal,many stalls can be found where it can be bought. While the government maintains that it is a den of dealers, their inhabitants carry out a campaign against hard drugs. This has always been the attitude of Christiania as opposed to the harassment of the authorities: imagination; in any format: plastic music, arts…
Again they are in a state of siege by the City Council, which wants to expropriate the land of Christiania to build on. Everybody knows that it is another one of the excuses used against the existence of this district.
According to the surveys, 70% of the population of the city agree with the existence of Christiania. But, in spite of the support of people, hard times are coming to enlarge the history of Christiania.

After Copenhagen and 10 fantastic days in Iceland, we returned to the FolkeCenter, where they were keeping our van and the caravan. Although this time it would not be for continuing discovering new places, but to study all the compiled information and to put ourselves fully into the work.

Among other things this report that we are offering you here:

Denmark has been without a doubt a pioneering country in terms of renewable energies at a European level.

Among all the renewable sources that they use at different levels, is the Aeolian one which is by far the one most widely used. In fact, 21% of the electrical consumption that nowadays Denmark demands is generated by these mills, which are scattered all over the country. And according to the plans anticipated by the government this contribution will be of 50% in the year 2030.

We had the opportunity to see a practical case of clean electricity local production by means of the wind in the lands of Sydthy. Here, in a region in which 12,000 people live and 75 MW of electrical energy is consumed, thanks to the 145 installed mills they get 130 MW, much more than they will use. This power surplus is sold to the national network to be distributed to other users. This way they are soon able to pay off the investment made in the installation of the mills.
Many farmers have mills connected to the network, and after covering its particular necessities, they sell the extra energy to the national network, that pays 0.09 to them E/KW/h. According to the present legislation there are two ways to be able to buy and to install a generator of this type: by means of a cooperative or being a farmer. So that most of the existing mills in Denmark are of private ownership.

At first, when Denmark began to work with the Aeolic energy, the government subsidized 30% of the cost. The subsidies were lowered as the mills increased in number and capacity, until in 1988 the aids stopped. So nowadays public aid for their installation does not exist.

Most of the Aeolic generators of this area oscillate between powers of 200-500 KW, and can produce between 500,000 and million KW/h/year, depending on its power. Therefore, if a mill of 200 KW of power costs about 180,000 euros, and considering its annual production, the average term of repayment of the initial investment comes out as 6 years. Later, all is through revenue.

You would think that, with so many windmills in such a small country as Denmark, the landscape would be disfigured. It is true that there are a multitude of mills of all types and colours, but at no moment did they gave us the sensation of being "extra natural" elements in these surroundings. In fact, they are usually well integrated into the landscape, without negative consequences. Moreover, in some cases they have given a special aspect to those places in which they have been placed, for example the famous mills in a row along the coast of Copenhagen, so often portrayed in the postcards.

You will be able to find more information on this and other subjects about Aeolic energy in www.windpower.org, a very well worked website that you will find very pleasant and didactic.

But in addition to the wind it is not difficult to see the use of other power sources, for example, taking a walk in the streets of Copenhagen, we verified by the multitude of dishes installed on balconies and facades of the buildings,the fact that solar energy is quite popular.
Nowadays Denmark is the only country in the world that has created an association for the development of the energy of waves at an individual level.

Regarding learning, without a doubt the days spent in the centre have been the most productive ones of the trip. Wave energy, Aeolian energy, solar power, biogas, biomass, the varied uses of the pure plant oil, bio construction, solutions for residual waters… it is incredible what it is possible to see and to learn in the facilities of the FolkeCenter.

The centre has been invaluable to us in making contacts. We met Ibrahim Togola, for example, the person in charge of the Mali FolkeCenter,who after a pleasant exhibition of the activities of their centre, invited us to collaborate with them in the future. It is not surprising then,that the work of the Folkecenter, which appeals to many people from all over the world who wish to learn and to widen their knowledge of the Renewable ones, is an advantage because of its vast experience.

The folkecenter, is an independent non-profit making institution, managed by a Board. Funding is from the Danish Government plus project funding. It has 3.000 square metres including offices, workshops, exhibitions, training centre, etc.
8 hectares of land, 10 different windmills, 12 solar cell plants. 10 solar heating plants; hydrogen plant; plant oil for transport; 4 green wastewater treatment plants; dike pond system; cars running on plant oil or hydrogen produced from wind energy. Test site for wave energy machines.
Exhibition of 40 windmill blades up to 31 meters. And special buildings: Plus Energy House, Bio dome, Underground House, Straw Bale House and Solar Barn.
In order to maintain all this, they have about 20 workers and 15 trainees With a clear objective: the experimentation, study and development of the renewable energies and its spreading, give great importance to the development at a local level,which is the reason why they are pleased to work with small and medium groups.

Folkecenter works on four major fronts:

• Development and implementation of renewable energy systems: small-scale wind power innovation and design; advanced generator construction; CO2 neutral transportation with hydrogen and plant oil; solar architecture and integration of solar cells in buildings; wave energy testing.
• As consultants to manufacturers, local consumer groups, and relevant initiators within renewable energy.
• Disseminating information on renewable energy in Denmark and elsewhere, to trainees, concerned citizen groups; and political decision makers focusing on decentralized solutions.
• The Village for Green Research, where Folkecenter is situated, demonstrates practical examples of integration of several energy solutions, solar housing, water recycling system, etc. as an experimental and functional example of a future ecological society.

We really wish to thank them for the tremendous welcome and hospitality we received,for the possibility that we had to use facilities that were essential to us for work, and, to thank Jane, Niels, Raghavan, Preben, Stig, Ibrahim, and all the rest,for the wisdom that they have shared with us. To all of them, thank you very much.

***Except for the part of the bio construction in Copenhagen, all the following experiences have been guided and/or recommended by the people in charge of the FolkeCenter.

So that, with the aid of students and volunteers, the work began. Time went by and the project was gaining fame and hundreds of people volunteered their help. It is estimated that around 100,000 people interested in this extraordinary project, got to visit the place during it’s construction.

Thus, after two years of arduous work of hundreds of volunteers, they were able to raise the one that in its day would be the greatest Aeolian generator in the world, a windmill of 54 meters. But their great deed did not finish there, since with its participation in the debate against the nuclear power plants they achieved an agreement that no power station of this type would be allowed in Denmark. Nowadays Denmark is a country that does not have nuclear power stations.

Teachers totally financed the project, with a cost around a million euros. In spite of being finished by the year 1977 it would not be put into operation until 1978. This mill generates 900 KW of electrical power that is used for the consumption of all the school’s facilities; the remaining energy is sold to cover other economic necessities.

It is fantastic and surprising to verify how by means of communitarian work, known so well in our land, and with the voluntary aid of people, the construction of a nuclear power station could be avoided using an ecological system that still today supplies power- and economically- to the whole school complex. It is necessary to say that the initial investment has been more than repaid. Therefore, in addition to being a system which respects the environment, it had, and has, a way of covering its economic necessities that still lasts.

An absolutely excellent example.

Wave Energy. Wave Dragon (www.wavedragon.dk)