Denmark is in the middle of government negotiations, where the direction of both the green transition and Denmark's security of supply is being undermined. At the same time, Denmark is facing three acute realities. An electricity grid under pressure. A green transition, which risks moving too slowly. And an energy system that remains too dependent on imported fuels. These are not three separate challenges. They are one overall problem that requires one overall solution.

Denmark needs to become a green electrostat, where we not only produce more renewable energy, but also manage to use it wisely and efficiently throughout the energy system. As wind and solar take up more space, the character of the energy system is changing. Production is becoming more fluctuating, and the value of electricity increasingly depends on when it is used. Therefore, flexibility, storage and intelligent interaction between sectors are becoming crucial. It is no longer enough to produce green electricity. We must be able to use it when it is there and do without it when it is not. In practice, this means that the energy system must be able to handle both hours of very high production and periods of low production. Without the necessary flexibility, we will either waste green electricity or have to maintain expensive backup capacity. Flexibility and storage are therefore not a supplement to it. green transition. It is a prerequisite.

It is about being able to shift consumption in time, store energy across hours and days and, increasingly, also connect sectors together. When electricity, heat, transport and industry are thought of as one integrated system, new opportunities arise to balance energy much more efficiently than if the sectors were developed separately. Local energy use also becomes crucial in this context. When electricity can be used close to where it is produced, the load on the electricity grid can be reduced, especially if consumption can also be moved away from peak loads. This frees up capacity and makes the energy system both cheaper and more robust. The sectors that can combine electrification with flexibility and storage as well as local energy production will therefore be central to the energy system of the future.

District heating is a clear example of a central player in the energy system of the future, because it can use electricity on a large scale when there is plenty of it and reduce its consumption when there is a shortage. At the same time, district heating can store energy in large “heating batteries”, which is already an integrated part of the energy system. However, district heating does not stand alone. A robust energy system requires the interaction of several solutions. Industrial flexibility, Power-to-X, batteries and intelligent management of consumption solve different tasks and can play a role in making a system based on wind and solar work.

If Denmark is to be less dependent on imported energy, it does not just require more green power. It requires an energy system that can operate stably on its own resources, while at the same time exploiting strong collaborations and electricity connections to our neighbouring countries. This means a system based on wind and solar, where security of supply depends on our ability to balance production and consumption. Energy independence is therefore a question of system design, which is increasingly about how we use the electricity grid.

Denmark is facing an acute bottleneck in the transmission grid, where the demand for grid connection far exceeds the available capacity. More than eight times Denmark's total electricity consumption is queuing up for the grid. At the same time, the way we allocate capacity is not geared to the reality we are facing. Energinet has therefore been forced to put everything on hold until an emergency package is in place. There is no doubt that the grid must be significantly expanded in the coming years, and that the pace of expansion must be increased. But expansion alone is not enough. When the demand for grid connection exceeds capacity so significantly, we also need to prioritize how the existing capacity is used.

Today, allocation is largely based on first-come, first-served basis and project maturity. This is a model from a time when the electricity grid was not a scarce resource. But it is today. The consequence is that capacity risks being tied up in projects that do not contribute to flexibility or security of supply, while solutions with high system value are delayed. Without clear prioritization, we risk an energy system where investments are delayed, green power is not optimally utilized, and companies have to wait for years for grid connection. This will not only slow down the green transition, but also weaken Denmark's competitiveness. When the electricity grid is a scarce resource, it must also be prioritized as one. This means that we must make choices. Not all projects can get access at the same time. And not all projects should have the same right to unlimited grid capacity at all hours.

Therefore, capacity should be targeted at solutions that make the energy system more robust. Solutions that can take power when it is there, store energy and reduce the need for expensive grid expansion. In other words, projects should be assessed on their contribution to flexibility, security of supply and efficient use of green power. Here, electrification of heat, industrial flexibility and other forms of system integration play a key role. If Denmark is to succeed in the next phase of the green transition, therefore, a new approach to the electricity grid is required. Scarce capacity should not be distributed randomly. It should be used where it creates the greatest social value. This means that a national prioritization framework should be introduced, where projects are assessed based on their contribution to flexibility, system value, local energy use, CO2 reduction and better utilization of existing grid capacity. At the same time, a clear prioritization category should be established for socially critical electrification, including electrification of district heating. Tariffs and connection conditions must support flexible electricity consumption to a much greater extent. Today, they do not sufficiently reflect the value it provides for the electricity system when consumption can be shifted in time.

Denmark has a strong starting point. We have renewable energy, we have the technologies, and we have companies and sectors that are already driving development forward. We know what it takes to build an energy system based on wind and solar with high security of supply. The question is whether we design the electricity grid so that it supports that development. The new government should therefore ensure that scarce electricity grid capacity is used where it creates the greatest social value, including for green heating and socially critical electrification. Tariffs and connection conditions must support flexible electricity consumption to a greater extent so that green power is used efficiently. At the same time, the electricity grid must be expanded more proactively, but in a way where expansion goes hand in hand with better utilization of existing capacity.

Denmark has both a capacity problem in the electricity grid and a prioritization problem. And without clear priorities, we risk exacerbating both. Therefore, the next phase of energy policy should not only be about more electricity production and more electricity grid. It should be about a more intelligent, flexible and economically efficient electricity system, where we use the existing infrastructure better before we uncritically build more. Energy independence does not just require more power. It requires that we use the electricity grid as the scarce and valuable resource that it is.

This opinion piece was published in Jyllands-Posten on May 2, 2026, and was written by Maj Baltzarsen, deputy director of the Brundtland Think Tank, Christian Ibsen, director of CONCITO, Brian Vad Mathiesen, professor at Aalborg University, Kim Mortensen, director of Danish District Heating, Henrik Garver, director of FRI – consulting engineers, and Britt Dam, climate and energy advisor to the Green Transition Denmark.