Bioenergy

Renewable, clean and efficient

 Energy from the north

 Northern climate conditions have taught Finns to think in terms of energy efficiency. If the temperature is minus 30 degrees Celsius and fuel reserves are limited, then it’s all about survival. With ample forests, Finns have also learnt to use these resources for energy production - and in an eco-friendly manner.

Combined with these traditions, Finnish engineering expertise has produced many innovations in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Oulu, the capital of the Northern Finland region, brings its widely known ICT expertise to this equation, offering immense opportunities in renewable energy and related activities.

 

Finland leads the way

 Finland is strongly committed to the European Union’s goals for renewable energy use, and this is helping foster the development of companies and business in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency. In 2010, as much as 28 percent of the energy used in Finland will come from renewable sources. The European average will be 8.5 percent, which makes Finland one of  Europe’s leaders in this area.

The clean technology sector, also known as clean tech, is growing rapidly in the Oulu region and around the world, with new companies being established and existing ones expanding continuously.

 The Oulu region combines the expertise of some of the world’s best-educated people with the northern way of life and related values of hard work, a deep appreciation of nature and eco-friendly thinking. This facilitates considerable clean-tech innovations in the area.

 Bioenergy

Finns have centuries of experience in using biofuels for energy production. It is no surprise, then, that the Oulu region is home to numerous bioenergy companies, such as Chempolis, Vapor Finland and Senfit. Chempolis develops third-generation technology for bioethanol production, and Vapor Finland designs and manufactures boiler plants suitable for solid biofuels. Senfit has created a biomaterial moisture analyzer that measures the moisture content of biofuels—essential information in biofuel use—markedly faster than any previous device or method.

Excellent operating environment

The Oulu region offers an ideal operating environment for businesses in renewable energy. The University of Oulu and the Oulu University of Applied Sciences, as well as local research institutes, provide high-quality education and research in bioenergy use and renewable energy such as biofuels. According to information compiled by the European Commission, investments in research in the Oulu region are the fifth highest in Europe, in relation to population size.

The energy-intensive industries in the area—such as paper, metal and mining—offer excellent opportunities for piloting new technologies and innovations related to bioenergy. In addition to major investments in wind power, the Oulu region has a long tradition of expertise in hydropower, not to mention biogas. For years now, the City of Oulu’s Waste Management Department has been developing a micro-turbine plant suitable for biogases.

 

 

>> Bionova Engineering

>> Chempolis

>> Vapor Finland Oy