Finnish and Russian SMEs stem power from cooperation

Cooperation between Finnish and Russian small an medium size enterprises is moving ahead as concrete projects though an agreement between national funding agencies from the two countries. The goal is to improve the enterprises' international competitiveness in jointly defined areas - including for instance; built environment, energy efficiency, ICT, biotechnology and medicine. The first joint round of applications attracted plenty of interest.

Producing superior biofuel from wood biomass

A method developed at Aalto University in Finland makes it possible to use microbes to produce butanol suitable for biofuel and other industrial chemicals from wood biomass. Combining a butanol and pulp plant into a modern biorefinery would provide significant synergy benefits in terms of energy use and biofuel production. This will, for instance, minimize the feed stock cost and help in improving the waste water treatment.

How will Chinese wind power develop?

The Chinese wind power market had been developing extremely fast, surpassing all the other markets in the world. Over the past 12 months, the market has run into various problems: rising rare-earth material costs, connectivity due to lack of fault ride-through capability and a new governmental financial policy. The changes are not the end of the business, but the environment now is more competitive - with no space for mistakes or compromises.

Arctic – an opportunity for Finnish-Russian cooperation

Turning the Northern Sea Route into a key commercial route - capable of competing with traditional sea routes in cost of services, safety and quality - is of importance both international transport and development of the Arctic regions. One of the main challenges is to preserve the vulnerable environment. The development efforts would open new opportunities for Finnish-Russian techno-economic cooperation.

Bio-economy – a key driver for green growth

In the future, our well-being will be based on the sustainable and wide-ranging use of renewable natural resources. The central element of this bio-economy is not refinement of biomass but a sustainable water and nutrient cycle, according to a new study. The transition from industrial production thinking to the smart management of natural resources will be an opportunity for sustainable, green growth - both locally and globally.

Finland pioneers an international university center

The University of Eastern Finland will open its doors to international operators as it starts carrying through a plan for an international university center. The first entrant to the new university center is a branch office of an Indian energy and research center TERI. In an environment accommodating several international bodies, new ideas and cooperation will make it easier to create new activities, as the effort required in finding funding for them.

New measurement system supports wind energy investments

A new system for wind resource assessment, power curve measurement, and monitoring operational wind farms allows operators to accurately understand and manage the impact that weather has on their operations and business, and as a result make better decisions. The system combines several decades of experience in weather observation with clear wind energy industry feedback.

St Petersburg's ecocity planning concept ready for implementation

A concept for ecologically efficient city planning tailored to St Petersburg conditions is ready to be applied in practice. The concept, developed in a project lead by the Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT, includes a dense urban structure, a minimized need for private transport and maximized use of public transport and light traffic, minimized energy consumption, the use of renewable energy with maximum efficiency, and sustainable waste and water treatment solutions.

Europe could increase biomass use to energy by a half

Agrobiomass and forest chips are the most underused bioenergy sources available today. There is potential for increasing their use by 50 percent from the present, according to a new study from an EU project that estimates the biomass potential in 23 EU Member States and Norway. The annual potential was estimated at the equivalent of 157 million tonnes of oil. The project aimed to increase biomass fuel use in the EU by finding ways to remove existing obstacles to trade.

Finland and Russia agree on a modernization partnership

Finland and Russia agreed this week on a bilateral modernization partnership at the meeting of the Commission for Economic Cooperation held in St. Petersburg this week. The declaration lists several fields of cooperation, such as energy efficiency, generation of electricity and heat, information technology, the forest industry, shipbuilding and the shipyard industry.

Sharing good practices provide most sustainable local solutions

Sharing good practices and multiplying new solutions contribute to cooperation and entrepreneurship, create new partnerships and socio-cultural models and strengthen the state of sustainable development in the Nordic countries and countries in the wider Baltic Sea Region. This week experts from 19 countries shared positive experiences - from innovations and operation models to knowledge, ways of thinking, attitudes and products - at a conference held in Finland.

Finland takes concrete steps to promote renewable energy

A new feed-in tariff scheme has been established in Finland to promote the production of electricity based on wind power, biogas and wood-based fuel. The act entered partially into force on 1 January. At the same time also entered into force a new act promoting the use of biofuels in traffic. Biofuel distribution obligation will increase from the current four to six percent for 2011-2014, followed by a phased increase to 20 percent by 2020.

Advanced software simulates clean power plants of the future

New version of advanced process simulation software (Apros) can be used to simulate and optimize in advance such as fluidized bed combustion, carbon capture and desalination plants. Even the most difficult process failures can be simulated by using this software that also provides tools to test digital automation systems and train personnel. Apros brings cost-effiency both in planning and implementation, and results in efficient, low-emisssion processes.

Finnish city to become a place of carbon-free housing

A new energy-efficient suburb for 6000 residents will be built in the historical City of Porvoo, South Finland. The entire suburb will be designed and built so that the buildings, services, living environment, traffic arrangements and waste management will be run energy-efficiently. Spurred by this project, energy efficiency has been raised as one of the key priorities in the city strategy, and Porvoo aims to become a city of carbon-free living. It will also provide true model for sustainable development for the entire Finland.

CCS - an opportunity to reduce emissions in the Nordic countries

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology offers opportunities for the Nordic countries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the future, since there are both large stationary sources of these emissions and geologically suitable underground formations for its storage in the region, shows a study commissioned by the Nordic Innovation Centre and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. CCS is conventionally considered for fossil emissions, but it could also make a biomass plant a carbon sink, says the report.