Denmark's Renewable Energy and Community 'Magician'. Søren Hermansen

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This episode of the Green Interview features Søren Hermansen, Denmark's "world-class energy magician" whose a mission is to demonstrate it's possible to create a sustainable society based on renewable energy. The model society-Hermansen's native Samsø- is a small, blustery island nestled in Denmark's Kattegat Strait, once a cluster of farming communities powered by coal and oil, now an impressive showcase of sustainable power: wind turbines, district heating plants, rapeseed oil tractors and solar panels. In 1997, the Danish government put out a challenge to 5 of the country's populated islands to reduce their carbon footprint and increase production of renewable energy. The Municipality of Samsø entered and won the contest, but it had to be done with "proven technologies, current policies and widespread public participation," says Hermansen.