Collaborations can also lead to improvements in a company's image, capacity, and competence development, as well as foster an enhanced corporate culture and attitude towards work. Additionally, symbiosis can have a positive impact on society, such as job creation, and align with Environmental, Social and Governance, CSR, and Global Reporting Initiative standards for larger companies.

Furthermore, engaging in symbiosis can secure future opportunities for insurance, financing, and loans, as the financial sector is moving in that direction.

The smart energy system focuses on how the individual parts of the energy sector (electricity, heat, housing, industry, transport, consumption, and supply) can cooperate so that the goal of 100% renewable energy can be achieved in a realistic and appropriate way. When the sectors are coordinated and cooperate, we can distribute and store the energy in the cheapest way.

In Aalborg, there is a clear focus on energy efficiency in the form of ongoing improvements of buildings and homes, transition to 4th generation low-temperature district heating and much greater utilization of industrial surplus heat.

Before the year 2028, Nordjyllandsværket's old coal power plant will be taken out of operation. Among many other investments, a new heat pump will be installed as well as large heat storage capacities.

Every day, Aalborg Utilities supplies district heating to more than 180,000 citizens in the municipality of Aalborg. The district heating sector is the area that can make the largest contribution to achieving Denmark's climate goal of a 70% reduction by 2030. One household that replaces their oil-fired heating with district heating saves the climate 5.7 tons of CO2 per year.

Aalborg is a city with extensive experience in district heating and has established a sturdy groundwork for future development through a distinctive collaboration between industry, universities, and the public sector. The innovative solutions created in Aalborg are primed for deployment in other cities and countries worldwide.

In order to unlock the massive potential of fourth-generation district heating and establish cost-efficient sustainable energy systems for ecological advancement in Europe, the 4DH initiative was initiated under the guidance of Aalborg research.

Aalborg Utilities also collaborate with the new University Hospital in Aalborg to provide a sustainable solution for cooling. The hospital buildings will be cooled using the consistently cold water from the Cement company Aalborg Portland's limestone quarry. This trend is expected to continue and more businesses in the area will adopt district cooling as a green alternative.

Aalborg Portland is one of the companies that contribute surplus heat to Aalborg Utilities’ district heating production - and has done so since the early 1990s.

The collaboration between Aalborg Utilities and Aalborg Portland on excess heat was expanded in 2020, so that the share of excess heat from Aalborg Portland in the utility energy mix has increased from approx. 20% to 28% This means an annual CO2 saving of approx. 150,000 tons and extra excess heat corresponding to approx. 7,500 households.

With a new district cooling system, the IKEA warehouse in Aalborg will switch to a cheaper and more climate-friendly solution – and the surplus heat from the system will be transferred directly into the district heating network and heat approximately 480 standard houses a year.

Using energy twice like this can save the climate from tons of CO2 and represents an enormous potential all around the world.

Grid integration, sector coupling, and utilization of surplus heat can be key to the green transition – and Aalborg is leading the way. Read more about Smart Energy in Aalborg.