Kungsleden makes SMHI’s head office fossil-free through solar and geothermal energy
Kungsleden is transforming the property that houses the head office of the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) in Norrköping, Taktpinnen 1, into a fossil-free property that uses solar and geothermal energy. Work is now under way and is expected to be completed in the autumn. This is part of Kungsleden’s efforts to reduce energy consumption, with the target of becoming climate positive by 2035.
Photo: Niclas Kindahl, Fotofabriken/SMHI
“SMHI is an expert body that works to enhance all of society’s sustainability and we also have a strong focus on our own environmental activities. This initiative aimed at having a fossil-free property is aligned with this approach. It will ensure that our data centres and offices are provided with climate-friendly cooling and heating,” says SMHI Director General Håkan Wirtén.
The 18,000 sq.m. property will be supplied with heating and comfort cooling through 40 energy wells (300-metre deep boreholes), and seven heat pumps. The energy that supplies the heat pumps will be mainly sourced from a large solar panel facility of 350 kW, which is located on the rooftops.
Supplementary electricity that will need to be purchased comprises green electricity from windpower, entailing that the property will be supplied with completely fossil-free energy.
The project is a collaboration between the property owner Kungsleden and SMHI, which is a tenant in Taktpinnen 1. The initiative arose because SMHI required more cooling for its offices and data centres, which house a supercomputer cluster, among other equipment. Instead of adding a conventional cooling machine, this fossil-free solution was developed.
“This is an exciting project in many ways that is positive for the environment and reduces our energy costs. It is exciting for us to work on this with SMHI, which is gaining sustainable and attractive premises for many years to come,” says Biljana Pehrsson, CEO of Kungsleden.
Last year, Kungsleden prepared a new sustainability strategy with the target of becoming climate positive by 2035. A key step in achieving this goal is to reduce energy consumption through initiatives that include solar panels and geothermal energy.
For more information, please contact:
Anna Trane, Head of Corporate Communications, Kungsleden, +46 8 503 052 20, anna.trane@kungsleden.se
About Kungsleden. We are people that create places and experiences for people. By developing and managing attractive and sustainable places, we offer people a better and more inspiring work experience. We are a long-term property owner focused on commercial properties in Sweden’s growth regions. As of 31 March 2021, we owned 208 properties with a total value of SEK 41,814 m. Kungsleden (KLED) is listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm Large Cap. Read more at www.kungsleden.se
