Finland

Highlights in 2017
Highlights in 2017

 

New clean energy innovation policies and/or strategies

The Government of Finland published a new national energy and climate strategy in November 2016. The National Energy and Climate Strategy outlines the actions that will enable Finland to attain the targets specified in the Government Programme and adopted in the EU for 2030, and to systematically set the course for achieving an 80−95 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The strategy includes two main lines for clean energy RD&D:

  • Energy technology and innovations may serve as a significant driver of economic growth. Finland will continue to make major investments in developing new technologies and commercialising innovations, in particular to speed up the introduction of clean and smart energy systems and the associated products and services, and more extensively resource-wise solutions that are based on user needs and required by communities.
  • Full use will be made of the international Mission Innovation cooperation to promote the networking of Finnish cleantech companies and research institutes of the field and creating partnerships. For this purpose, a clean energy ecosystem will be organised as part of the growth programme (a cooperation network for actors) based on a strong public-private partnership.

Top clean energy innovation successes in 2017

  • NeoCarbon research project: NEO-CARBON ENERGY –project funded by Innovation Funding Agency, Business Finland (former Tekes). The project was carried out in cooperation with Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT Ltd, Lappeenranta University of Technology LUT and Finland Futures Research Centre FFRC at University of Turku. Neo-Carbon Energy’s solution is an entirely new energy system based on solar and wind alongside other renewables such as hydro power, geothermal and sustainable biomass. The system will produce energy that is emission-free, cost-effective and independent. The primary solution for neocarbonisation is to use atmospheric CO2 as a source of carbon for synthesising hydrocarbons. Researchers at Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) have received the national Energy Globe Award for their work in renewable energy. The award was given to the research project Neo-Carbon Energy.
  • The Finnish company Solar Foods Oy produces an entirely new kind of nutrient-rich protein using only air and electricity. The goal of the company is to start commercial production of the environmentally revolutionary protein in 2020. Solar Foods’ concept redefines the basics of food production, as it isn’t dependent on agriculture, the weather, or the climate. The price of the protein product is also competitive compared to sources such as soy protein. The company’s production method is based on the research project NeoCarbon of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) that proved the viability of the production concept for extremely protein-rich food. The results of these research projects have attracted a lot of international attention.
  • Norsepower Oy: The Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution is a modernized version of the Flettner rotor – a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to propel a ship. When the wind conditions are favorable, Norsepower Rotor Sails allow the main engines to be throttled back, saving fuel and reducing emissions while providing the power needed to maintain speed and voyage time. Rotor sails can be used with new vessels or they can be retrofitted to existing ships. In 2017 the company made a large scale up to full size demonstration. Norsepower has won a number of awards for the innovative Rotor Sail technology. In September 2015 the Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution won the Energy Efficiency Solution Award in annual Ship Efficiency Awards, organized by Fathom Maritime Intelligence. In June 2016 the product was awarded with the Innovation of the Year Award at the Electric & Hybrid Marine Awards. In May 2017 Norsepower’s CEO Tuomas Riski was awarded the Young Entrepreneur Award at Norshipping.

Collaborations

Joint call – Cleantech including energy
Countries: China
Type of collaboration: public-private
Start date: 2017
End date: 2018

Joint call – Smart energy
Countries: Germany
Type of collaboration: public-private
Start date: 2017
End date: 2018