Waste. We all produce a significant amount of waste in our lifetime. Globally, humans create 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste each year. By 2050, global waste is projected to grow to 3.40 billion tonnes, double the population growth over the same period. What are we to do with all this waste? That is a question I ask myself often. The issue of waste is complex, and one solution will not cure the problem, but innovative solutions can help. I visited a project this past year that addresses the waste issue. Now I will preface by saying that while I think this project does good work and, for the time being, it is beneficial in putting waste to good use, I do not think this project will be the single leading solution to energy production and the waste problem.
CopenHill, or Amager Bakke in Danish, is a waste-to-energy plant incorporating a ski slope, hiking trails, climbing walls, and an environmental education center. The goal of the plant, as stated by CopenHill’s owner and operator, Amager Resource Center, is to supply low-carbon electricity to 550,000 people and district heating to 140,000 households. The plant also relates to Copenhagen’s goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2050. Although located in the industrial area of Amager, CopenHill acts as a social and educational destination that is redefining the city’s relationship with waste plants. CopenHill’s structure allows flora and fauna to bloom, creating an urban ecosystem. Similarly, the plant’s green roof promotes biodiversity and lets visitors utilize the rooftop park all year round.
The plant is a significant example of the application of sustainable development. Not only is CopenHill a great way to create energy but, an urban social setting that residents want to visit. The plant is both functionally environmental and social. Using combined heat and power plants makes it more efficient than the commonly seen power plants, Copenhill being 107% efficient while coal power plants are 35-38% efficient. The plant also features an advanced catalytic filter system that brushes harmful pollutants away from the incineration exhaust that blows from its chimney. Due to this catalytic filter, the ARC claims the plant is almost pollution-free. The operating company also claims CopenHill is the cleanest and most efficient waste-to-energy power plant to date.
The inspiration for this topic stemmed from my brief time living in Copenhagen. I witnessed firsthand the advantages and disadvantages resulting from a waste-to-energy power plant. Some advantages of the plant are its 100% utilization of the waste’s energy content to power surrounding municipalities. Another advantage is its production of recycled materials through its reuse of metal waste, recovery of water, and the reuse of bottom ash for road material. CopenHill also exemplifies the transition from traditional power plants to plants that use existing materials and double as urban environments. The plant benefits the environment and society by diverting waste from landfills and recovering reusable waste materials.
The disadvantages of CopenHill include how the plant emits large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere while claiming to be a clean alternative to producing energy. Another disadvantage is that if more waste-to-energy plants are constructed they could begin disincentivizing more sustainable approaches to energy. These power plant types could also destroy potentially recoverable materials and could support unregulated waste trade among countries. Though the disadvantages are minimal compared to the advantages, and the plant seems to operate without “greatly” affecting the environment, I still beg the question, “is it enough?”. The relevancy of this question to this plant is significant when looking into Europe’s current energy crisis and the recent approval of the Willow Project. Could plants like CopenHill make a difference in Europe’s energy crisis, and does it have the potential to incentivize countries to look past traditional oil and coal plants, like seen in the Willow Project, and finally shift away from fossil fuels?
Along with these plants, the world must shift toward dependence on circular, renewable energy systems, such as solar and wind. Alternatives to waste-to-energy plants that I anticipate seeing in the future, as globally, we shift toward net-zero approaches, are transforming biomass into bioenergy (anaerobic digestion), fermenting and distilling biomass to create bioethanol, or using excess power to generate biogas.
Citations:
The World Bank. (2016). What a waste 2.0. Trends in Solid Waste Management. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://datatopics.worldbank.org/what-a-waste/trends_in_solid_waste_management.html
GMBH, Z. I. N. C. O. (2022, January 8). Copenhill. Greenroofs.com. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://www.greenroofs.com/projects/copenhill/
Baldwin, A. E. (2020, September 28). Exploring big’s Copenhill, the clean energy plant with its own ski slope – architizer journal. Journal. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://architizer.com/blog/practice/details/bjarke-ingels-group-copenhill/#:~:text=When%20launched%20in%202011%2C%20CopenHill,waste%20treatment%20and%20environmental%20performance.
Koumari, L. (2022, May 14). Copenhill, a waste-to-energy plant with a ski slope. Parametric Architecture. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://parametric-architecture.com/copenhill-a-waste-to-energy-plant-with-a-ski-slope/
Hickman, M. (2020, November 2). Copenhill, big’s skiable waste-to-energy power plant, gets sweeping new photos from Hufton + Crow. The Architect’s Newspaper. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://www.archpaper.com/2020/11/copenhill-bigs-skiable-waste-to-energy-power-plant-gets-sweeping-new-photos-from-hufton-crow/
Lovell, J. (2018). Copenhill waste-to-energy plant: How hot is it? Australian Energy Council. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://www.energycouncil.com.au/analysis/copenhill-waste-to-energy-plant-how-hot-is-it/
