In the picture, Niemi Palvelut Oy CEO Kalle Peltola, left, Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala, middle, and TSF CEO Janne Ritakoski, right. Photo by Janne Pappila, TSF.
A hybrid thermal power plant using solar energy with an efficiency of almost 90% has been commissioned in Helsinki. “We wanted the best combination of climate friendliness and cost-efficiency,” says Kalle Peltola, Managing Director of Niemi Palvelut Oy, explaining the choice of power plant. Thermal Storage Finland Oy’s globally unique power plant can also be of national importance. “Finland needs new export strengths based on our strong expertise, and this plant has all the prerequisites for that,” says Sari Multala, Minister of Science and Culture, who inaugurated the plant.
Niemi Palvelut Oy’s 12 300 sqm head office in Konala, Helsinki. TSF Hybrid thermal power plant in the middle, hybrid solar power plant on the roof of the building. Photo by Janne Pappila, TSF
Niemi Palvelut Oy has long been known for its pioneering role in combating climate change, for example through its completely fossil-free fleet. Now Niemi was looking for a solution to heat its more than 12 300 square metres of property, and the choice was not a difficult one, says Niemi’s Managing Director Kalle Peltola.
In the photo, Kalle Peltola, Managing Director of Niemi Palvelut Oy. Photo by Janne Pappila, TSF.
“Even optimal climate friendliness is not enough. To achieve true sustainability and responsibility, you also need to be as economically competitive as possible: we wanted the best combination of climate friendliness and cost-effectiveness. We looked at many options, but Thermal Storage Finland’ssolution was in a class of its own. The CO2 emissions from heating our headquarters are reduced to zero in one go, and from day one, significant clean savings start to accrue, literally. Financially, our investment in the hybrid thermal power plant is EUR 0 thanks to the service contract and the solution is immediately cash-flow positive for us compared to district heating,” Peltola explains.
The hybrid thermal power plant on the Niemi site in Konala, Helsinki, was inaugurated today, Tuesday 19 November, by Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala. Multala stressed the importance of Finnish expertise and sees a significant national opportunity in a power plant based on Finnish innovation.
“The whole world is competing in science and innovation to find climate-friendly and cost-effective energy solutions. This hybrid thermal power plant is an excellent example of Finnish innovation, combining the best technologies with practical interdisciplinary expertise in a globally pioneering way. Finland needs new export strengths stemming from our strong know-how,” says Multala.
In the picture, Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala, left, and TSF CEO Janne Ritakoski, right. Photo by Janne Pappila, TSF.
The power of Plug & Play, driven by climate, economy and war
Janne Ritakoski , CEO of Thermal Storage Finland Oy (TSF), believes that the future of hybrid thermal power plants is very promising, both domestically and in terms of exports.
“The fact that Niemi, a leader in climate responsibility, chose our power plant is the best possible reference. We believe that the real estate sector is waking up fast! Up to 28% of Finland’s total energy use is used for heating buildings and TSF’s ‘Plug & Play’ solution, which can be implemented immediately, offers clean benefits to the subscriber immediately. So there’s no need to wait years to reap the benefits of your investment – the plant arrives ready to go in a sea container and installation is quick. We also already have an order in Germany and the production will quickly scale up to hundreds of units,” says Ritakoski.
Minister of Science and Culture Multala assesses the benefits of a hybrid thermal power plant from a national perspective.
“The hybrid power plant brings valuable export potential for Finland to Central Europe and wherever decentralised, easy-to-use, climate-friendly and affordable energy is needed – in principle, all over the world. This first hybrid power plant on a commercial scale is therefore a significant and promising step towards both rapid climate benefits and exports”, concludes the Minister.
The ease of implementing a hybrid thermal power plant for the company’s own basic operations was also a key issue for Niemi, a provider of large-scale moving and logistics services. The rapid installation of the plant has not disrupted the constant truck and van traffic and the largest hybrid solar field in the Nordic countries is located on the roof of the building, where it causes no disruption.
“When we looked into geothermal as an alternative, it turned out that we would need as many as 15-20 kilometres of geothermal wells on our plot. Anyone can conclude that such a huge excavation and drilling operation would have been a major inconvenience to our basic day-to-day business,” explains Niemi’s Managing Director Peltola.
