When there is surplus, it could be of use to someone else. Sharing economy of an industrial manufacturer and the local energy company reduces emissions and improves energy efficiency. The end result is carbon-neutral district heating and zero-emission heating for the Kiilto chemical factory in Lempäälä, Finland.
At Kiilto factory, a lot of excess energy is generated in the production of industrial adhesives. Although most of it is already used in the heating network of the factory buildings, there is still plenty, especially in the summertime.
Along with the new energy cooperation, the waste heat of Kiilto in Lempäälä is utilized during summertime in the local district heating network.
“Since so much heat is generated in their production processes, and they do not need it for themselves, it makes sense to share the benefits”, says Toni Laakso, the CEO of the local energy company, Lempäälän Lämpö.
The heat pump plant brings the parties together
The common factor of the two companies is the AmbiHeat heat pump plant by Calefa. AmbiHeat upgrades the waste heat of the factory and heat from outdoor air for the district heating network. Lempäälän Lämpö no longer needs to use gas to produce district heating in Sääksjärvi network in the summertime. The produced heat is emission-free.
As a result of the cooperation, Kiilto will join the local district heating network. Although the factory buildings have mainly been heated with production waste heat already since 2018, during the coldest days gas burners have been needed as a backup system. Now that will be part of the history. Lempäälän Lämpö produces winter-time district heating from wood-based, renewable energy sources. So, the heating network of Kiilto will be completely emission-free
”The two-way trade of heat increases the security of supply. When Kiilto has a surplus of heat, it can be utilized in the district heating network, and respectively, if needed, we can also deliver heat to them”, Toni Laakso explains.
”This will benefit both. In the summertime, the energy company will get emission-free energy, which they would otherwise need to produce using fossil natural gas. And in the winter we will get district heating, produced from biobased fuel”, adds Vesa Juhannusvuori, the technical manager of Kiilto.
Energy ecosystems part of the solution
The CEO of the energy company Toni Laakso regards sharing economy and energy ecosystems as part of the energy production of the future. Energy will be produced more and more in smaller units, locally and decentralized. The AmbiHeat heat pump plants can be crucial game-changers.
“We need to grasp even the smallest streams and be better at distribution. As an energy company, we want to look at things with a wide scope and increase opportunities for residential and industrial synergies.”
Kiilto is aiming to be carbon-neutral by 2028. There are several ongoing projects within the company to achieve this environmental target. Utilizing waste heat has been the most important action to reach the green energy goals, and it has also given great benefits both economically and by improving production. The energy cost has decreased significantly and the annual CO2 emissions have been cut by over 500 tons.
“The system has functioned better than anticipated. Also, the quality of the production process has improved, because the cooling capacity of the new system is better. The lead time is shorter, and the capacity of the hot-melt adhesive production line has increased”, Juhannusvuori lists the benefits of the new system.
“The new heat pump plant and energy cooperation with Lempäälän Lämpö is another chapter in our story with Calefa.”
Carbon-neutral in the summer of 2022
The construction work is well ongoing. The modular AmbiHeat heat pump plant will be delivered on the site as a ready-made entity and connected to the systems of both the factory and the energy company. The Sääksjärvi district heating network will get its heat from Kiilto waste heat already in the summer of 2022
AmbiHeat is a heat pump plant that utilizes ambient energy sources in the production of emission-free heating. Petri Vuori, the CEO of Calefa Oy, which is the company behind AmbiHeat, visions that ecosystems and sharing economy will have a wide positive impact.
“It’s great, that energy companies and industrial companies are starting to see the benefits of working together. This is an important step to improve everybody’s energy efficiency and effectively reduce CO2 emissions.”
The supply chain director of Kiilto, Petri Heljo regards the cooperation as a good example of the possibilities of energy ecosystems also in the future.
“At its best, the parties of the cooperation will be part of the solution and also benefit from it.”
