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Propulsion and hull design can significantly reduce shipping emissions and lower underwater noise

PRESS RELEASE 18.8.2022 International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set ambitious goals to reduce shipping greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50 % by year 2050. Discussion on lowering the emissions has largely been focused on using new green fuel options, such as hydrogen, ammonia and methanol. However, innovations and improvements in propulsion technology and hull form should not be forgotten. By developing efficient propulsion concepts, the fuel consumption can be reduced regardless of the used fuel type.Currently the propulsive efficiency of ships, meaning how much of the power

Smart control of power plants to support the growth of renewable energy

The fluctuating supply of wind and solar energy forces traditional power plants to be more flexible. The two-year SmartFlex project develops smart monitoring and control tools that can be used to control power plants in rapidly changing situations. The aim is to extend the lifespan of the plants as well as to maintain high efficiency and low emissions in a reliable way.Conventional combined heat and power (CHP) production balances the fluctuation that wind and solar power bring to the energy market. CHP plants also provide an opportunity to combust biomass residues as well as waste, thus

The need for demand-side management of electricity increases – piloted marketplace would enhance the use of demand-side resources

VTT and the University of Vaasa are collaborating to develop a new real-time marketplace for demand-side management of electricity. The marketplace would solve some challenges brought about by the energy revolution by enhancing the use of demand-side resources. At the same time, it would enable giving consumers a more active role on the energy market than they currently have.Continuous energy availability is necessary for all Finns and the Finnish industry. However, it is impossible to store energy in a large scale, so, to ensure availability, there must always be a balance between the

Kari Mäki, DSc (Tech.), appointed Research Professor in Smart Energy Systems at VTT

Kari Mäki has worked with energy systems at VTT since 2010. Before that, he held various positions in industry and the Tampere University of Technology.Smart energy systems are essential for being able to fully utilise renewable energy. The energy transition has begun, and a lot is going on in the energy sector at the moment: new technologies are being utilised and new type of business is emerging. The operators are actively seeking new roles. “The transition of the energy systems makes the subject area challenging, and a more interdisciplinary approach is needed,” says Kari Mäki. “This

Dissertation on energy technology: Low-emission energy solutions should be included in district planning

Mari Hukkalainen (M.Sc. (Eng.)), a Senior Scientist at VTT, studied district energy solutions in her doctoral dissertation. Together with the research team, she developed a tool for an energy efficient district planning to provide benchmarking information for decision makers. Local energy solutions can also open up new business opportunities.  Many energy and environmental goals are geared towards improving energy efficiency, reducing emissions and increasing renewable energy. These issues are resolved in a high number of decisions – and choices between alternative plans – by planners

Finland has the world’s most energy-saving supermarket – half of the energy it consumes is solar in origin

Savings are also being achieved by levelling out power consumption peaksUnder VTT’s leadership, Finland has the world's most energy-efficient supermarket, which consumes only 40% of the energy of a normal grocery store. A new solution is saving the retailer around EUR 180,000 in energy costs. The technology is now ready for use on commercial premises in general.”On a sunny day, half of all electricity consumed by the low-energy supermarket is coming from the solar panels installed on the roof,” says Project Manager and solar power plant designer Klaus Känsälä of VTT Technical Research

Schoolchildren were asked to brainstorm futuristic solutions from the perspective of the circular economy

Where will people get water, food and energy from in the future?It is believed that the circular economy will radically transform the entire business sector in the next few years. Climate change will make our living conditions more challenging, and mankind will need to develop new ways to both conserve and produce resources such as water, food, energy and consumables. VTT asked schoolchildren to draw sketches of a fictional futuristic spaceship aboard which all waste and by-products of life need to be minimised and reused as efficiently as possible.One of VTT’s current research projects

VTT demonstrates new technique for generating electricity

Research scientists at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have demonstrated a new technique for generating electrical energy. The new method can be used in harvesting energy from mechanical vibrations of the environment and converting it into electricity. Energy harvesters are needed, for example, in wireless self-powered sensors and medical implants, where they could ultimately replace batteries. In the future, energy harvesters can open up new opportunities in many application areas such as wearable electronics. Research scientists at VTT have successfully generated energy by

Finland to lead the way in developing the storage of solar and wind energy

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has joined forces with Lappeenranta University of Technology and the Finland Futures Research Centre at the University of Turku in the launch of an extensive development project for a brand new energy system and its associated business sector in Finland. The NEO-CARBON ENERGY project, targeting the storage of solar and wind energy, has been granted major strategic funding by Tekes - the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation for next couple of years. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and endeavours to achieve energy self-sufficiency are

Increase in the Use of Biofuels the Most Cost-Effective Way for Finland to Achieve the Goals of the EU's 2030 Climate and Energy Package

VTT and the Government Institute for Economic Research (VATT) have completed a study commissioned by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy and the Ministry of the Environment, assessing the impact of the EU's 2030 Climate and Energy Framework on Finland's energy system and national economy. The increased use of second-generation biofuels in road transport would provide Finland with the most cost-effective way of achieving the greenhouse gas emissions goals presented in the policy framework for the sector outside of the emissions trading system. The impact on the national economy caused

Biomass supply chains developed by VTT speed up use of bioenergy in Vietnam

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed efficiency in the biomass supply and use for energy in Vietnam's Mekong Delta as part of the Energy and Environment Partnership Programme of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Mechanisation of loading and unloading of biomass working phases reduce transport costs by 15%. The production and use of biomass pellets in industrial boilers was demonstrated to be financially and technologically sound. Vietnam possesses considerable biomass reserves. Development of the current biomass supply chains and power plant operations will increase the

VTT: EU to attain emission target ahead of schedule in non-ETS sectors

The European Union is likely to achieve its 2020 emission reduction target ahead of schedule in non-ETS sectors. A foresight study by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland indicates that this outcome, which is more positive than expected, will mean that not all emission quotas will need to be used. In turn, this will mean that quota values remain low. The VTT estimates that the EU’s cumulative surplus for 2013-2020 emission quotas in non-ETS sectors will total 160-2000 megatonnes of carbon dioxide. Annually, this would correspond to up to 5 per cent of all emissions within the EU.

VTT: Remote management technology to bring 15 per cent reduction in energy consumption at Otaniemi

VTT, Samsung and 10,000 data points are implementing the Otaniemi ecocampus projectVTT and Samsung C&T Corporation are developing remote management technology and services for buildings in the Otaniemi campus area. A pilot project consisting of a hundred buildings is under way, collecting measurement data on energy consumption and indoor conditions from approximately 10,000 data points. The goal is to demonstrate that energy consumption in campus buildings can be reduced by 15% using the new technology. Knowledge and other platforms are built at the same time, for use in long-term

Overhead costs of fusion power plants can be reduced by planning reactor maintenance and structure together

VTT plays an important role in developing maintenance for future fusion reactorsVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland's research results indicate that joint planning of the reactor structure and remote maintenance system can significantly improve the utilisation rates of future fusion power plants. Designing a reactor with the simplest structure possible can reduce maintenance periods, as well as building expenses and overhead costs. Since 1995, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has participated in two international projects aimed at building a full-scale fusion reactor and

Smart technology makes its way into lighting

Smart lighting market set to boomAccording to VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the lighting systems of the future could be multi-purpose devices not dissimilar to smart phones. In the future, lighting will not just allow us to see but could also be used to survey surroundings, transmit information, reflect moods and make our lives more comfortable. Smart lighting could also save as much as 80 per cent of energy compared to traditional lighting solutions. As more applications become available, the smart lighting industry will also be revolutionised. In addition to lighting,

Cold climate wind energy showing huge potential

Wind energy capacity is growing rapidly in the cold climates of the world. According to the latest forecasts, between 45 and 50 gigawatts of wind energy will be built in cold climates by 2017, which would mean an increase of as much as 72 per cent since the end of 2012 and investments amounting to approximately EUR 75 billion. “This is a huge opportunity,” says Research Scientist Tomas Wallenius from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. “There has been a lot of talk about the potential of offshore wind power, but the market for cold climate wind energy is more than ten times greater.

Finnish researchers to provide solutions for energy-efficient repairs in residential districts in Moscow

There are many old and decrepit residential buildings in Moscow in need of refurbishment. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed three repair concepts for improving the energy efficiency of both buildings and entire residential districts while also reducing their environmental impact. Calculations show that it would be possible to reduce heating demand in buildings by up to 70%. Even minor repairs can achieve significant energy savings. Most of the residential buildings in Moscow were built after the Second World War. Many of them are in poor shape and waste a lot of

VTT involved in developing cellulose-based ethanol production in Brazil

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland exports its expertise as a developer of biomass processing technology to Brazil. Odebrecht, a conglomerate and one of the southern hemisphere's largest enterprises, is making preparations for second generation ethanol production and plans to construct a demonstration plant. VTT acts as Odebrecht's research partner, tasked with developing the technology used in the company's processes. VTT makes use of its experience in the development of biomass processing technology, applying it to the Brazilian sugar cane biomass processing industry. VTT's

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