Press release

Denmark and US sign Historic Agreement on Clean Energy Research and Science Collaboration

The United States and Denmark sign agreement to cooperate on new energy and decarbonization technologies to combat the climate crisis.

A new agreement on energy research between the United States and Denmark will strengthen existing bilateral relations and collaboration among national stakeholders to accelerate both nations’ decarbonization efforts. The agreement will help support the United States and Denmark in achieving the ambitious climate targets they have pledged under the Paris Agreement.

The objectives are to develop tangible Danish-American research and demonstration projects in order to commercialize and scale emerging technologies as fast as possible as well as to intensify dialogue among the involved authorities. This will be important for the collaboration in key technology areas, such as carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) as well as energy storage, and Power-to-X.

“The climate crisis is one of the single greatest challenges we face as a planet—one that will require the international community to be fearless in technological innovation, and ambitious in our pursuit to deploy sustainable, renewable power around the world. This historic Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Denmark—a global champion for clean energy—will strengthen our science and research partnerships so that together, we can turn our dream of a clean energy future into a reality, while building a net-zero world economy that creates millions of jobs and lifts all of our citizens into greater prosperity,” says Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, Jennifer M. Granholm.

The agreement provides an excellent example of how foreign- and climate political results can be achieved by addressing the climate crisis while simultaneously opening doors for trade in green industries.

“We cannot slow down climate change without improved technology. Therefore, I am both proud and happy that Denmark will collaborate with the Department of Energy on green research. For example, the American laboratories have developed the lithium-ion battery that powers our electric cars, and they have captured and stored 10 million tons of CO2 underground. It is this knowledge and their research into completely new technologies that I hope we can learn from,” explains Denmark’s Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Dan Jørgensen.

 

“The agreement is a great example of how solutions to energy and climate challenges can be sought both at national and international level. Denmark and the United States can achieve results by facilitating collaborative science and technology projects and by developing and demonstrating innovative solutions together in the area of energy and materials science,” says Denmark’s Minister for Higher Education and Science, Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen.

Also the Technical University of Denmark welcomes the new agreement.

“With the new Memorandum of Understanding we look forward to further develop the relations between the U.S. and Denmark and to develop strategic partnerships with likeminded institutions across the Atlantic. We hope that the ambitions to reduce greenhouse gases set forward by the regulators can enable a collaborative effort to provide scientific technical solutions which are able to solve this significant global challenge,” says President of the Technical University of Denmark, Anders O. Bjarklev.

The new agreement on energy collaboration will be implemented through the DOE National Laboratories and the two Danish Innovation Centres, located in Boston and Silicon Valley, two of the most innovative technology hubs in the world.

Background
The Danish government has set an ambitious goal of a 70 percent reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 compared to the level in 1990. Denmark is aiming to become a green frontrunner but also has a need to accelerate technology development, which can bring the country closer to carbon neutrality.

The U.S. has often demonstrated the extent to which great research efforts can lead to transformation in society and development of new industries. During the Leaders Summit on Climate in April this year, the Biden administration announced the U.S. goal of 50 percent GHG reduction by 2030 compared to 2005. The Biden administration’s green ambitions show great promise for the global transition towards a sustainable economy. The United States is also the country in the world with the highest amount of investments in both research and green technologies.

Key Danish authorities such as the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and Innovation Fund Denmark have co-signed the new agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy, which brings strong research institutions within areas such as materials research, biochemical and chemical processes, environment and climate models as well as supercomputers and AI.

The agreement will be followed by an action and implementation plan, in which more concrete activity areas will be agreed. This will happen in close collaboration between authorities, research institutions and the industries involved.

For questions regarding the agreement, contact Torben Nielsen on [email protected] from Innovation Centre Denmark Boston, Natasha Guman on [email protected] from Innovation Centre Denmark Silicon Valley or Cecilia Skogstad on [email protected] from the Embassy of Denmark in Washington DC.

For more information about green transition in Denmark, visit: The Danish Government’s long term strategy for global climate action and Denmark’s national strategy for investments in green research, technology, and innovation.

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