Few people outside the industry would have believed a couple of years ago that district heating is being talked about today as a solution for the future. However, district heating networks play an important role in the green transition, as they enable new, emission-free methods of heat production, such as the utilization of waste heat. Moreover, in the heat recovery of green hydrogen projects, they are irreplaceable.

As we struggle to find our way out of fossil-based fuels, the need for sustainable electricity grows day by day. But there are still challenges in low-carbon energy production, particularly with energy distribution and high investment costs.

Since the global energy crisis hit, companies in pharmaceutical manufacturing started improving their energy efficiency to contribute to the economy as well as to their budget. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are typically the biggest energy consumers in pharmaceutical facilities, and design is the best stage at which to influence them.

The options for solving the energy crisis have been known for a long time – now the actual solving of the issues should take priority. In Finland, the forest industry produces a large portion of the renewable energy, but also uses a lot of energy just the same. Our special characteristics also include our district heating network that enables the large-scale distribution of heat from different sources. We need investments in things such as promotion of the circular economy and storing of energy.

The popularity of biogas as a form of renewable energy has increased at a great pace in Finland during the last decade. Pioneering small-scale innova­tions have over time grown into industrial operations and the demand for biogas as a replace­ment for fossil fuels has created a good basis for the emergence of new biogas operators. In the last few years, the digestate produced by biogas plants has started to find its place as a recycled nutrient product that can be used as a replacement for industrially manufactured fertilizers.

CFD, or Computational Fluid Dynamics, is a method that is often utilized only for the post-design phase, although it is very well suited for wider and efficient use throughout the design process. Optimal use of CFD analysis generally shortens projects’ lead times and improves product assessment. It also provides an excellent basis for preparing digital twins. In process modeling tasks, CFD is an excellent tool for studying the components, for example.

A derivative of green hydrogen produced from renewable energy, green ammonia has the potential to become a new source of energy and revenue for the Finnish national economy. It allows the country to break its dependence on natural gas imports and provides self-sufficiency to secure agricultural production, power vessels in the future or to be a carrier of green hydrogen. Finland has the ideal mix of resources to produce green ammonia for both its own domestic use and for global distribution.

Infinited Fiber Company’s technology is globally unique. Thanks to it, textile waste can be transformed into high-quality fiber for the use in the textile industry. Elomatic has played a key role in building and developing the pilot production, and now the companies will continue their cooperation within Infinited Fiber Company’s factory project in Kemi.

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a transparent cellulose film that offers a more climate-friendly solution as a packaging material than plastic. The bio-based film helps solve many of the challenges related to plastic. Developing the solution would not have been possible without Elomatic’s expertise: we implemented the pilot production line necessary for manufacturing the renewable film.