Subscribe to Newsletter
  • ACQUIRE

logo

  • Energy
  • Construction
  • Resources
  • Trending
  • Business Insight
  • Events
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Home
  • Home
  • Energy
  • Construction
  • Resources
  • Trending
  • Business Insight
  • Events
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Helsinki searches for sustainable city heating solutions

19 Mar, 2020



In a drastic turn to eliminate coal as the main source of district heating, The City of Helsinki has launched the Helsinki Energy Challenge – a global one million euro competition to find the future of urban heating. With the aim to find a solution sustainable in the long term, ideas presented must not rely on fossil fuel or biomass fired heating.

With the aim of becoming carbon-neutral by 2035 and with coal banned from energy production in Finland from 2029, Helsinki is strongly dedicated to the decarbonisation of cities. Several cities already have ambitious plans to reduce carbon emissions. The City of Helsinki takes things one step further in declaring that it will not rely on biomass-fired heating, making the city’s energy production not just fossil free, but truly sustainable.

In line with the strong commitment to decarbonisation, Helsinki Mayor Mr. Jan Vapaavuori is taking radical action by launching a global one million euro challenge competition, urging innovators from around the world to propose game-changing solutions for the future of urban heating.

“Solving the urban heating challenge is crucial to reach global climate goals. Cities have a key role to play in the transition to a low carbon economy, and Helsinki is now taking an initiative to lead the way. We invite innovators from all around the world to use our city as a testbed to develop not just fossil free, but truly sustainable, solutions. Together, we will create the future of heating to fight global warming,” says Mr Vapaavuori.

The goal of the challenge is to find solutions that can be implemented in Helsinki by 2029 and that potentially could contribute to decarbonising city heating around the world. The City of Helsinki is committed to openly sharing the solutions and knowhow gathered from the challenge. Cities such as Toronto, Amsterdam, Vancouver, and Leeds as well as organisations like the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council and C40 City Solutions Platform, are already supporting the initiative, to name a few.

“Climate change is a global crisis that will not be solved by quick fixes. With over half of the city’s heat coming from coal, we hope that our shift to sustainable energy can help inspire other cities and act as a real life case that a transition is possible. Taking this next step might lead to a revolutionary breakthrough in our pursuit for a more sustainable city life,” says Mr. Vapaavuori.

The scope of Helsinki’s heating system allows for a range of solutions, from large to small scale, but the ideal combination of solutions is yet to be found. The winning proposal could just as well include technological and business model innovations, as it could be a solution requiring system-level transformation. Proposed solutions will be evaluated based on climate impact, impact on natural resources, cost, implementation schedule, implementation feasibility, reliability and security of supply, and capacity.

Related Articles

Comments

Leave a comment Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Breaking

  • Energy
  • Construction
  • Resources
09 Jun

AEMO’s distribution focus enables community participation

06 Jun

Report shows 20 million gained energy access in 2024

06 Jun

Kulak Solar Village is Iraq’s first off-grid community

06 Jun

5B receives $46 million to expand manufacturing

06 Jun

EnergyAustralia admits offsets do not undo harm

12 Jun

Cumberland celebrates planting its 1,000th tree

10 Jun

Stantec helps New Epping achieve sustainability excellence

09 Jun

RMIT engineers transform low-grade clay into cement

09 Jun

Perth’s urban tree canopy saw slight increase in 2024

30 May

Green homes now mainstream Australian property priority

09 Jun

Australia’s hydrogen certification framework faces scrutiny

09 Jun

Biofuel demand outpaces supply, risking shortages

28 May

Major contract awarded for methanol facility in UAE

27 May

Archaeologist accuses WA government of North West Shelf cover-up

13 May

Queensland resources sector drives energy transition

  • BATTERY ASSET MANAGEMENT SUMMIT

Online Magazine

    Current Cover
  • Login
  • Subscribe

Subscribe

Subscribe to Newsletter

Our Titles

  • Share on Newsletter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
© Sage Media Group 2025 All Rights Reserved.
×
Authorization
  • Registration
 This feature has been disabled
 This feature has been disabled until further notice, however you may still register
×
Registration
  • Autorization
Register
* All fields required