Decentralised Energy Transition Training and Study Tour in Copenhagen

Programme Overview

Energy systems are moving away from a small number of large power stations towards many smaller sources located close to where energy is used: rooftop and ground-mounted solar, community wind, local combined heat and power, heat pumps, batteries and mini-grids. Decentralisation improves resilience, can lower costs for remote users and gives communities and municipalities a direct role in the transition.

Denmark shows how far this can go. According to the IEA’s 2023 review, wind supplied 54% of Danish electricity in 2022, the highest share among IEA members, and wind, bioenergy and solar together supplied about 80% of the power mix. District heating covers about 70% of residential space heating, and the Danish Energy Agency reports that two out of three Danish houses are heated this way.

In developing countries, decentralised solutions are central to energy access. Mission 300, led by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank, aims to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030, with distributed renewable energy expected to reach rural and remote communities. ESMAP has estimated that around half a billion people could be served cost-effectively by mini-grids.

This Decentralised Energy Transition Training and Study Tour in Copenhagen brings together the technical, regulatory, financial and community aspects of decentralised energy over five days, ending with a full day of technical visits and a capstone roadmap.

The Programme Strengthens Institutional Capability

• Decentralised energy planning and least-cost electrification
• Mini-grid and standalone solar programme design
• Integration of variable renewables into distribution networks
• Storage, flexibility and demand response
• District heating and heat pump planning
• Regulation of mini-grids, tariffs and grid arrival
• Net metering and self-consumption rules
• Energy communities and cooperative ownership
• Financial modelling for decentralised projects
• Results-based financing and blended finance
• Community engagement and benefit sharing
• Environmental and social management of small energy projects
• Monitoring connections, reliability and productive use
• Coordination between ministries, regulators and utilities

Every topic leads to a practical output that participants can take back to their institution.

The Growing Importance of Decentralised Energy Transition

Financing for decentralised energy has grown sharply. In Nigeria, the World Bank approved a 750 million dollar IDA credit in December 2023 for the DARES programme, which aims to bring new or improved electricity to more than 17.5 million people through mini-grids and standalone solar, and to replace more than 280,000 petrol and diesel generators. Similar programmes across Africa and Asia need staff who can design, regulate and supervise them.

In Europe, the revised Renewable Energy Directive, in force since November 2023, raises the EU’s binding renewable target to at least 42.5% by 2030 and requires faster permitting. Earlier EU rules introduced renewable energy communities and citizen energy communities, giving local groups a legal basis to own and share energy.

Organisations increasingly require professionals capable of:

• Comparing grid, mini-grid and standalone options on cost and service
• Preparing electrification plans with geospatial data
• Specifying hybrid solar and storage systems
• Designing tariffs that balance affordability and cost recovery
• Drafting mini-grid regulations, including rules for grid arrival
• Assessing heat planning and district heating options
• Building financial models for decentralised projects
• Structuring results-based grants and blended finance
• Engaging communities and building local ownership
• Managing environmental and social risks of small projects
• Monitoring service quality and productive use

Strong decentralised energy systems help organisations:

• Reach remote users faster than grid extension alone
• Reduce dependence on diesel and imported fuel
• Improve supply resilience and reliability
• Attract private investment into access programmes
• Support small businesses and productive use
• Give communities a stake in local projects
• Meet national climate and access commitments
• Use public funds more efficiently

The challenge for most institutions is less about technology than about planning, regulation, finance and coordination. These are the areas the programme focuses on.

Who Should Attend This Decentralised Energy Training?

This programme is designed for:

• Officials from ministries of energy, power and rural development
• Rural electrification agency staff
• Energy regulators and tariff analysts
• Utility planners and distribution engineers
• Project implementation unit staff on energy access projects
• Municipal and regional energy planners
• Urban planners working on heat and transport
• Mini-grid developers and operators
• Energy consultants and advisers
• Development bank and fund staff
• Transport and e-mobility officials
• Climate change and environment officers
• NGO and cooperative leaders working on community energy
• Business leaders investing in distributed energy

Teams combining policy, regulatory and technical staff benefit most, since the workshops are designed for joint decisions.

Decentralised Energy Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this Decentralised Energy Training, participants will be able to:

• Explain how decentralised and centralised systems differ and interact
• Choose between grid, mini-grid and standalone options for a given area
• Describe the main technologies, including solar, storage, small CHP and heat pumps
• Assess flexibility needs when variable renewables grow
• Compare regulatory models for mini-grids and self-consumption
• Explain how energy communities and cooperatives are structured
• Build a simple financial model for a decentralised project
• Design a results-based financing instrument
• Plan community engagement and benefit sharing
• Set indicators for access, reliability and productive use
• Prepare a roadmap for a decentralised energy initiative

Objectives are reviewed in the daily workshops and the capstone roadmap.

Programme Contents and Structure

Decentralised Energy Training Methodology

The programme combines short expert inputs with practical modelling, case analysis and exposure to Danish practice.

The programme combines:

• Short technical presentations
• Opportunity mapping for participants’ own countries
• Mini-grid sizing exercises
• Simple financial modelling in spreadsheets
• Case studies of financed programmes such as DARES
• Analysis of Danish cooperative and municipal models
• Regulatory drafting exercises
• Group discussions and peer exchange
• A full day of technical visits
• Structured visit debriefs
• A capstone roadmap presented to a panel

The facilitator adapts examples to the regions represented, so that participants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East see cases close to their own context.

Technical Visits and Site Programme

The Fifth Day is a full-day study tour of Denmark’s decentralised energy system. Visits are confirmed with host organisations before the programme and are chosen from sites such as community or municipal wind installations, district heating plants with heat pumps or thermal storage, and utilities or research facilities working on smart grid operation.

Each visit includes a briefing, guiding questions and a debrief that feeds into the capstone roadmap. Where hosts are available, a practitioner session on grid optimisation and reliability is included.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of this Decentralised Energy Training, participants will be able to:

• Advise their institution on the right mix of grid and off-grid options
• Contribute to mini-grid and self-consumption regulations
• Review financial models and tariff proposals
• Design or improve results-based financing schemes
• Plan community engagement for local energy projects
• Apply Danish lessons on heat planning and cooperative ownership
• Track access, reliability and productive use indicators
• Lead a practical decentralised energy roadmap

Participants also join a network of peers working on similar programmes.

Institutional Application of Decentralised Energy Training

This programme supports organisations in strengthening:

• National electrification planning
• Mini-grid regulatory frameworks
• Tariff setting and subsidy design
• Distribution grid planning for distributed generation
• Heat planning and district energy
• Programme design for access projects
• Private sector engagement
• Community and cooperative energy models
• Environmental and social management
• Results monitoring and verification
• Coordination between ministries, regulators and utilities

Participants return with practical tools to improve:

• Opportunity mapping
• Mini-grid sizing
• Financial modelling
• Results-based grant design
• Regulatory checklists
• Community engagement planning
• Monitoring indicators
• Roadmap preparation

Institutions can use Risalat’s free institutional capacity assessment to identify priorities before nominating staff, and explore related programme categories for follow-up training.

Regional Relevance & Application

Africa

Mission 300 targets 300 million new connections by 2030, with the World Bank Group aiming for 250 million and the African Development Bank Group for 50 million. Programmes such as DARES in Nigeria and Ethiopia’s access programme, which has supported mini-grids alongside grid connections, depend on strong planning and regulation.

Asia

ESMAP’s mini-grid market outlook found that Africa and Asia would need around 210,000 mini-grids to connect 500 million people, against about 19,000 installed at the time. Island and mountain regions in South and Southeast Asia rely on decentralised options to reach remaining households.

Europe

EU rules on energy communities and the revised Renewable Energy Directive are driving local ownership, self-consumption and faster permitting across member states, with Denmark among the long-standing examples.

Middle East

Rooftop solar, distributed generation and district cooling are growing in the region, raising the same questions about grid codes, tariffs and network planning covered in the programme.

Workshops are adapted to the regions participants come from.

Host Country Profile – Denmark

Denmark offers a working example of a decentralised energy system at national scale. Its electricity transmission and gas networks are owned and operated by Energinet, an independent public enterprise owned by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, whose mandate includes integrating renewable power. The Danish Energy Agency provides policy and statistics, and municipalities prepare heat plans under the Heat Supply Act.

Copenhagen is a good base for this topic. Just outside the harbour, the Middelgrunden offshore wind farm, commissioned in 2000, has 20 turbines with a total capacity of 40 MW, half owned by a cooperative with more than 8,000 members and half by the municipal utility. Samsø, recognised as a renewable energy island, reports 100% local ownership of its renewable investments, 21 wind turbines and four biomass district heating plants. The Danish Energy Agency reports that wind and solar supplied 63.1% of electricity in 2023, and the Climate Act sets a 70% emissions reduction target for 2030 compared with 1990.

Denmark is in the Schengen Area. Participants who need a visa apply for a short-stay Schengen visa through the Danish mission or its appointed visa centre and should apply early. Copenhagen Airport has direct flights from major hubs in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and the city’s metro and trains link the airport, the venue and visit sites.

Decentralised Energy Training Deliverables

Participants receive structured support before, during and after the programme.

Before the Programme

• Participant Pre-Assessment
• Decentralised Energy Readiness Assessment
• Decentralised Energy Resource Pack
• Preparatory Reading Materials
• Complimentary Visa Support & Advisory

During the Programme

• Airport Pickup & Welcome Assistance
• Accommodation with Breakfast
• Welcome Networking Dinner
• Risalat Training Kit (Bag, Bottle, Mug, T-Shirt, Cap, Passport Cover, Pens, Notebook, Magnet & Keychain)
• Comprehensive Decentralised Energy Transition Training Manual
• Electrification Opportunity Mapping Template
• Mini-Grid Sizing Worksheet
• Decentralised Project Financial Model
• Results-Based Financing Design Checklist
• Mini-Grid Regulation Checklist
• Practical Workshops & Simulations
• Group Discussions & Peer Learning
• Daily Lunch and Refreshments
• Full Access to Training Venue Facilities
• Mini Pad / Tablet with Digital Learning Materials
• Field Visit (where applicable)
• Entertaining City Tour

After the Programme

• Certificate of Completion
• Risalat Programme Participation Recognition Award
• Post-Training Reference Materials
• Decentralised Energy Roadmap for Your Institution
• Study Tour Lessons Summary
• Post-Training Support & Follow-Up Guidance
• Programme Report

Ministries, regulators, utilities and PIUs can host a tailored in-house version built around their own programmes. To discuss options, please request a tailored proposal.

Common Challenges in Decentralised Energy Transition, And How This Training Helps

How do we decide where mini-grids are better than grid extension?

The First Day covers least-cost planning and opportunity mapping, giving teams a method to compare options area by area.

How can mini-grids stay viable when the main grid arrives?

The Third Day reviews regulatory approaches to grid arrival, including compensation and conversion to grid-connected operation.

How do we set tariffs that users can afford and operators can live with?

The Fourth Day financial modelling session links tariffs, subsidies and willingness to pay in a simple model.

How can we attract private capital into access programmes?

The DARES case study on the Fourth Day shows how public credit, results-based grants and partner financing are combined.

How do we integrate more variable renewables without losing reliability?

The Second Day covers storage, flexibility, heat pumps and sector coupling, drawing on Danish grid operation.

How can communities become owners rather than just customers?

The Third Day case study on Middelgrunden and Samsø examines cooperative and local ownership models and what it takes to adapt them.

How do we turn a study tour into lasting change?

The Fifth Day capstone links visit observations to a roadmap with clear actions, owners and indicators for the next 18 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does decentralised energy cover in this programme?

Mini-grids, standalone solar, rooftop solar, community wind, small CHP, district heating, heat pumps and storage, together with the regulation, finance and community engagement needed to deliver them.

Is the programme relevant to energy access in developing countries?

Yes. Case material includes Mission 300 and Nigeria's DARES programme, and workshops focus on planning, regulating and financing mini-grids and standalone solar.

What happens on the study tour day?

The Fifth Day is a full day of technical visits to decentralised energy and district heating sites in Denmark, confirmed with host organisations, followed by the capstone roadmap.

Do participants need an engineering background?

No. Technical topics are explained for policy, regulatory and finance staff, while engineers benefit from the sizing and grid integration exercises.

Can the programme be delivered in-house?

Yes. Risalat can tailor it for a ministry, regulator, utility or PIU, using its own programmes as case material.

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