Building with pre-made straw elements

Modern straw construction at Feldballe Independent School

In the 90s, Denmark’s first straw house approved for habitation was built at the Nordic Folkecenter for Sustainable Energy. Lars Keller, who was heavily involved in the construction at the time, still works with straw houses, which today are something quite different from stacked straw bales. An example of modern straw construction Feldballe Friskole’s science and education building, which was built in 2021. The walls consist of straw elements, which are basically a wooden frame filled with straw.

Danish Test & Resource Centre for Small Wind Turbines

Viking Wind testing wind turbine for Japanese market

At the Test center for small wind turbines, which Nordic Folkecenter operates at Hundborg, the blades of a Viking Wind turbine spin diligently in the Thy wind. The turbine is in the process of being certified so that Danish Viking Wind, which is based in Randers, can gain access to the Japanese market.

Danish concept - wind energy

The ”secret” behind the success of Danish wind turbines

For many Danes wind turbines is today something we take for granted when staring out the window. You might even say that wind turbines and their industry has become a part of Denmark’s and the Danes self-understanding as something special we as a green nation have contributed to the world. And it’s not entirely wrong to say. The world’s largest producer of wind turbines is situated in Denmark. But why is that, and how?

Smart-strawbale house

The smart strawbale house

Amongst the sustainable buildings at Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy we find the strawbale house which was built in 1998. The strawbale house has it’s own wind turbine, solar heating, battery bank and is filled with tech and ‘internet of things’ that makes it possible to program the house for any imaginable energy-scenario.

Blade recycling example

Recycling of wind turbine blades

Up to 95 percent of the material and components in a modern wind turbine can be disassembled and reused. On the other hand, the wings, which typically consist of fiberglass held together by hardened epoxy glue, are difficult to separate. Therefore, in many places, old wind turbine blades are deposited indefinitely.

Tesla camping

Electrify your car travel: 8,000 kilometer electric car travel

If you are the type of person who is used to going on holiday by car around Europe, then the thought has probably crossed your mind, whether it is possible to enjoy the same freedom in an electric car? “Can I get off just as quickly, is my choice of destination and route more limited, is there even enough charging stations in Europe? And finally: what does it cost?” These are questions I will try to answer based on my own experiences with summer holiday with an electric car in the past three years.