Samso Island: Self-Sufficient and Carbon Neutral

The cold wind that blows from the North Sea may seem like a negative for some but for the island of Samso in Denmark it has been an economic dynamo. The 4,000 or so inhabitants not only benefit from the wind but also have bought into the plan of using renewable energy literally as they own most of the wind turbines on and around the island.

Samso decided to lessen their dependency on oil and increase their use of renewable energy.  They use wind (on and offshore), solar, biomass, and biofuels.  They now produce more energy than they consume and are selling the excess to surrounding areas.  They are even starting their own Energy Institute to show others how to become more energy independent.
Great Infographic from ngpowereu.com







They are now considered a carbon neutral island or they have a net zero carbon footprint. The only area that residents say they could improve is by increasing the amount of electric vehicles used on the island. They are currently trying to increase their tourism by adding a hotel and a fleet of electric vehicles.  Other places have adopted using all electric vehicles to cut down on the carbon dioxide emitted by fossil fuels. 

One of these is Zermatt, Switzerland who is trying to cut down on the negative impacts to their city and the surrounding environment caused by combustion engine vehicles. Most of their income is dependent on the natural beauty and use of their environment for skiing, hiking and other tourist activities.  They declared that only electric cars and other non-combustion engines that do not emit carbon dioxide were allowed on the mountain.  A side benefit is the silence from vehicles brought on by this change.

Samso, El Hierro, and Zermatt have given us hope that a move away from all fossil fuels is possible and profitable.  Maybe if we stopped subsidizing the oil companies and put that money toward renewable energy then our country (USA) might be able to lessen it's footprint as well.  As seen in a previous post, Carbon Footprints, we have a very large footprint. Maybe it's time to re-look at our overall energy plan from a long term perspective and move away from mostly fossil fuels like oil and coal which are increasing our carbon output.