How to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from district heating by up to 10% – Caverion and its partners develop innovative solution in Finland

How to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from district heating by up to 10% – Caverion and its partners develop innovative solution in Finland
 
In cooperation with retail chain Osuuskauppa Arina and energy company Oulun Energia, Caverion has developed an innovative solution that utilises condensation heat from the refrigerator systems in supermarkets and improves the efficiency of energy production. Through this innovation, carbon neutral district heating will be produced for the use of residents and communities in the catchment area. As a result of this innovation, district heating production becomes 5% more efficient which means up to 10% decrease in carbon dioxide emissions.

The European Union has set the target for becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. Finland's aim is to be emission-free by as early as 2035. Companies have set even more ambitious targets than this. Innovative and effective means of reducing emissions, producing carbon-neutral energy and improving energy efficiency are therefore needed.

The innovative solution, developed cooperatively by Caverion, Osuuskauppa Arina and Oulun Energia, is a new way of managing energy flows. The newly developed energy systems in the supermarket will improve the efficiency of existing energy production plants and both the retailer and the energy companies will benefit from this. The aim has been to find a solution that can reduce overall energy consumption. Through the innovation, it will be possible to significantly increase cost-effective, carbon-neutral district heating production. Finding these resource- and energy- efficient solutions has required close joint development work.

"We are very satisfied with our cooperation in which we have aimed for a significant new solution to produce more environmentally friendly energy in a spirit of open partnership. Caverion offers comprehensive and energy-efficient building solutions and we aim to continue challenging current energy production models and ways," says Ville Tamminen, Head of the Caverion Finland division.

Together towards a carbon-neutral future

"Based on the pilot, the results of our cooperation are really promising. It has been calculated that the amount of surplus energy from one supermarket can offset the annual consumption of 220 detached houses. The innovation therefore has a significant impact on the local carbon footprint," continues Seppo Jakola, Premises Manager of Osuuskauppa Arina.

District heating is at the core when considering modern urban energy solutions. "District heating offers customers a flexible way to transfer energy. With this, we can build a sustainable and cleaner tomorrow," says Kimmo Alatulkkila, Director, Heat Services and Maintenance at Oulun Energia.  "Through our choices and actions, we are leading the way towards a carbon-neutral future. Intelligent energy solutions are being developed in cooperation with partners – this project is a perfect example of it."

A study related to the development work was carried out cooperatively by Caverion, Osuuskauppa Arina, Oulun Energia and Valor Partners.

This innovation has societal significance for the achievement of carbon neutrality targets. Its broader utilisation requires a new kind of local planning and the use of modern technical building systems so that energy flows can be suitably directed.  The novel energy concept offers town planners, investors, property developers, energy companies, experts in technical building systems and property management professionals new perspectives in the implementation of resource-efficient solutions. 

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