8—9 september 2025
SØNDERBORG, Denmark

Sønderborg’s District Heating Tour

The district heating system in Sønderborg is the backbone of the area’s integrated energy system – an essential element for a CO₂-neutral energy system in 2029. You’ll meet one of the district heating companies and learn how a local slaughterhouse was one of the keys to utilizing excess heat from brick manufacturing – and to bringing the heat to citizens in a village far from the district heating network.

Glansager Power-to-Gas Plant

Have a look behind the scenes at the world’s first Power-to-Gas plant connected to the grid. Launched in 2023, the Power-to-Gas plant increases the production of biogas by more than 50% based on the same amount of biomass - using the excess CO₂ from the biogas production that would have otherwise been released into the atmosphere.

Industry Decarbonization tour

Visit the headquarters campus of the global energy-efficiency industry leader Danfoss, to explore the way this 250.000 square-meter site became carbon neutral in 2022. Discover how smart energy management, excess heat recovery, and renewable integration not only decarbonize company operations – but also play a key role in supporting the city of Sønderborg’s journey toward a zero-emission energy system. The tour will take you on the ‘Decarbonization Tour’: past the machine room of the main office building, the on-site data center and factory heat exchanger.

Electric ferries in Fynshav

Visit Fynshav ferry harbor on the island of Als and step aboard Ellen - the world’s first fully electric ferry at its launch in 2019, a pioneer in sustainable maritime transport. The latest addition, Nerthus, showcases the next generation of green ferry technology with its autonomous docking system and high-capacity batteries. You can also see it recharging in just 20 minutes, in the fully automated onshore charging station, demonstrating how the green transition at sea can look like in practice.

Community-Led Rural Bus

Ensuring effective public transportation in low-density rural areas can be a challenge. Visit one of three villages around Sønderborg taking part in a new project exploring flexible mobility solutions designed to meet local needs. In addition to reducing transport-related emissions, the pilot project addresses rural mobility challenges - helping to strengthen both economic and social sustainability.

Application Development Center for machinery of the future

Construction machinery is known to be a major source of emissions. Besides electrifying those machines, the industry and local governments are increasingly turning their attention to the machines’ inefficiency - since they consume large amounts of diesel or electricity but convert only a small portion into productive work. Solutions already exist to address these inefficiencies, as do options to use construction machines to power the grid during peak demand.

Bringing together a component manufacturer’s workshop, the green fleet of a big machine lender and  real-world insights from Scandinavia’s biggest developer, this tour will provide you with insights from across the chain to highlight which options are already available today to lower emissions from construction machinery. Experience a live demonstration of electric, and energy-efficient off-road vehicles in a dynamic test environment featuring a dedicated excavation site and a full-sized racetrack where machinery performance is tested and refined to bring a sustainable change to urban construction sites.

Sønderborg Hospital

Discover how Sønderborg Hospital is leading the way in decarbonized healthcare. In response to the 2022 energy crisis, the hospital’s management decided to replace its gas- and oil-based heating system with a new hydronic heating and cooling system. Moreover, by teaming up with a local district heating utility company, it has started to provide its surplus heat to the community.
Explore how these solutions are expected to reduce hospital’s energy purchases by 28,300 MWh annually - cutting costs, supporting local energy needs, and creating a healthier indoor environment for patients and staff.

Social Housing Retrofits

The social housing area Kløver/Hvedemarken showcases how modern technologies can upgrade older buildings to meet today’s challenges - positioning it as a frontrunner in achieving new EU targets to reduce energy consumption in existing buildings by 20% by 2035.

Since 2003, the 432 apartments dating back to the 1960s have undergone an ongoing energy renovation to reduce heat consumption, lower energy costs, and improve indoor climate comfort. Listen to the story of how these upgrades led to a remarkable 27% drop in heat consumption - contributing to lower emissions and more affordable living.  

Smart, Energy-Efficient Supermarket

Go behind the scenes of a climate friendly and super-efficient supermarket, using world-class heating and cooling technology. Located just outside Sønderborg, the Coop supermarket is purpose-built for the future; designed to maximize energy efficiency, cut operating costs, and support the local energy grid in order to meet greater energy demands, a growing need for cooling and efficient food storage. Monitor how its advanced heating and cooling system works in real time and discover the business model that makes it all possible.