Welcome to Thisted, home of the renewables revolution

The Danes have seen the future of energy—and it looks a lot like Thisted, a municipality in northern Denmark. Thisted’s 46,000 residents get their power entirely from renewable sources. Torben Juul-Olsen, the municipality’s technical director, couldn’t be prouder. “We reached 100 percent faster than we thought, due to a good wind year,” he says. More than 250 windmills scattered across the lush, pastoral landscape generate all the electricity, but local leaders aren’t stopping there. “We are now planning for further big windmills up to 136 metres,” Juul-Olsen explains. “Five of these mills will be able to produce energy for more than 12,000 private buildings in our municipality.” Thisted also boasts a geothermal heating plant, the first of its kind in the country. Last year, the European Association for Renewable Energy honoured Thisted’s achievements with a Eurosolar award. The good people of Thisted have eagerly embraced the renewables revolution, with many homes sporting their own windmills and several local farmers operating biogas plants. All of this is reducing Thisted’s carbon footprint and attracting many renewable energy companies—and more jobs—to the area.