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Intern influences Greenland’s energy production

Energy Energy production Solar energy Wind energy
BEng student Rune Rysbjerg Møller’s work with renewable energy has made a big impression at his Greenlandic internship company.

Students often choose an internship close to their own home, but Rune Rysbjerg Møller—who studies BEng in Mechanical Engineering—had a taste for adventure. And during his internship at Greenland’s energy company Nukissiorfiit, he has been able to work with renewable energy in ways that are still new to Greenland.

Rune has planned and designed a conversion of one of the settlement’s power supply based on a solar and diesel hybrid solution. The project caught the interest of management, which has given a grant to carry out the project based on Rune’s recommendations.

Photo: Rune Rysbjerg Møller

“It is very rewarding to use your engineering knowledge in a place where it’s really appreciated. You can clearly feel the difference between the level of influence you get in a small society compared with Denmark,” says Rune Rysbjerg Møller.

Renewable energy is an important focal point for the country’s energy supply, which is why Rune has helped with the installation of the country’s first two wind turbines connected to the settlement’s electricity grid. Currently, he is processing the turbines’ power generation data in order to assess whether the turbines provide a profitable energy solution for settlements in Greenland.

“I've learned a great deal about the energy supply challenges Greenland is facing. It’s rewarding to help explore the country’s potential to exploit renewable energy sources,” he says.

Rune Rysbjerg Møller in a tunnel at Buksefjord hydroelectric plant in Nuuk, Greenland.