Energy solutions for all types of areas

Solar energy can be utilised nearly everywhere. Solar energy systems are best suited to areas that have large, unshaded surfaces for collecting the sun’s energy. These kinds of surfaces can be found on the roofs of industrial buildings and shopping centres, for example.

However, solar energy systems are also well-suited to supporting the primary power supply systems of residential buildings. Surfaces that receive solar radiation can be utilised to generate electricity and heating with photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors, respectively. In most cases, using solar energy to generate electricity is economically more efficient than using it for heating.

Solar energy can also be utilised passively, meaning without dedicated equipment, when it is taken into account in architectural design.

District heating is ideal for densely-built areas that are located close to the existing district heating network. When it comes to district heating, the City of Espoo engages in cooperation with Fortum, which is committed to providing the residents of Espoo with carbon neutral district heating by the end of the decade.

There are, of course, many people in Espoo living outside of population centres and beyond the reach of the district heating network as well. For these types of areas, building a neighbourhood area grid can be a viable option. A neighbourhood area grid means a power supply and distribution system that is separate from the common district heating network of the national electrical grid.

Geothermal heat is a good choice for areas with space and suitable ground for drilling geothermal wells. Geothermal heat is a low-emission energy solution suitable for many different types of buildings. The suitability and potential limitations of geothermal heat must always be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Industrial processes often generate heat as a by-product. Instead of letting it go to waste, this residual heat can be collected and utilised. The potential applications of residual heat include heating nearby buildings or feeding it into the district heating network.

With climate change making summers hotter and hotter, the need to cool buildings is increasing. Low-emission cooling can be generated with district cooling or air source heat pumps.

District cooling works on the same principle as district heating using a centralised system; the only difference is that the system is used to distribute cooling instead of heating. Access to the district cooling network is currently only available to some properties in Espoo, primarily along the metro line.

A geothermal heating system can be used to also cover cooling needs in the summer, utilising the low temperature of geothermal wells. The method with the lowest emissions is free cooling, i.e. operating the system without an energy-consuming compressor.

The energy sector is currently undergoing rapid changes, which have been collectively dubbed the energy transition. The energy transition encompasses a number of different developments.

In addition to new energy generation methods, the ways in which energy is consumed and energy systems are controlled are also changing. For example, some consumers can generate their own solar power and sell it to the grid. One option for the production and sharing of energy is starting an energy community. An energy community can be founded by a housing company or a private individual who is providing the energy from their solar panels to charge shared electric cars, for example.

The use of demand side response, i.e. adapting energy consumption based on energy production conditions, is also increasing. This typically means that we as energy consumers reduce our consumption for periods during which energy is expensive and its production generates large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.