2. At the heart of the new large-scale heat pump in Helsinki is a hermetically sealed HOFIM (high-speed, oil-free, integrated-motor) compressor by MAN Energy Solutions. Courtesy: MAN Energy Solutions
MAN said the basic principle in its heat pump technology “involves using electrical energy to raise low-temperature thermal energy to a higher, usable level. A standout feature of MAN’s solution is its use of toxicologically and environmentally safe CO2 as a refrigerant for the entire system-cycle, which allows to deliver heat at temperatures of up to 90C. Additionally, the solution enables rapid power-balancing of the electrical grid, supporting the integration of intermittent power generation like solar and wind.” The company added, “The heart of Patola’s heat pump system is an oil-free, hermetically-sealed HOFIM motor-compressor [Figure 2], which will be manufactured and tested by MAN Energy Solutions in Zurich, Switzerland. The compression unit utilizes a high-speed motor and active magnetic bearings, enabling it to operate without requiring a dry gas seal system and the complete oil system.” The German-based VSB Group, via its subsidiary VSB Finland, recently said it had obtained the necessary permits to launch what would be one of the largest hybrid wind-solar projects in Europe. The Puutionsaari hybrid power facility, located in the North Ostrobothnia region, combines a 350-MW wind farm with a 100-MW solar farm. The installation will feature 49 wind turbines, each with 7.1 MW of generation capacity, in addition to the solar array. Seppo Tallgren, managing director of VSB Finland, in a statement said the hybrid nature of the project supports the future application of power-to-x technologies. “A comprehensive hybrid [project] also enables other new technologies, such as the production of green hydrogen, through more consistent power generation,” Tallgren said.
3. Germany’s VSB Group is building the 147.5-MW Karahka wind farm in Finland, which is expected to come online by the end of 2024. Courtesy: VSB Group
Construction of the hybrid farm is expected to begin next year, with commissioning expected in 2028. Officials said the facility will be connected to the national grid without the need to build new transmission infrastructure. VSB Group said the project represents investment of more than €500 million ($554 million). Finnish officials have said such hybrid projects that can utilize existing infrastructure offer greater flexibility and reliability to the power grid. VSB also is working on other onshore wind projects in Finland, including the 147.5-MW Karahka wind farm (Figure 3), also located in the North Ostrobothnia region. Karahka will feature 25 Nordex N163/5.X turbines and is due for commissioning by year-end. “Finland has a district heating system in almost every town, which makes it possible to reuse waste heat from data centers. But the fact that major corporations have all established significant data centers inside the country plays a big role in making this concept a success,” said Irina Tsukerman, a geopolitical analyst with New York-based Scarab Rising. Referring to the Puutionsaari hybrid power facility, Tsukerman added, “The wind farm will be part of a hybrid wind and photovoltaic park, which, once completed, will not only be the largest renewable energy project in VSB’s history, but also one of the most significant hybrid park projects within all of Europe.” Tsukerman told POWER, “These hybrid farms and projects are becoming increasingly popular in Finland for a few reasons. They provide a stable supply of energy throughout the year by combining the complementary strengths of wind and solar power. Wind turbines can generate power at night and during windy conditions, while solar panels are most effective on sunny days. And Finland is a small country with a good balance of these conditions. Hybrid farms also ensure that the projects are cost-effective, unlike the wind farms in Germany, which proved to be overly costly due to the number of wind turbines, and their limitations. Hybrid systems can help improve the baseload of the electricity system, which is the minimum amount of power needed at any given time. Hybrid farms can be easily connected to the national grid without the need for additional transmission lines, saving on labor costs and other additional costs. They also maximize efficiency by harnessing the strengths of wind and solar power.” Google recently announced its project designed to cool a data center in Hamina, in the south of Finland, is being expanded into a district energy project for the community. Google said that next year it would launch its first offsite heat recovery project, working with local utility Haminan Energia. “Heat coming out of our Finnish data centre will be rerouted and provided free of charge,” Google wrote on its website. “We will be recovering heat at the Google Hamina data center, which operates today with carbon-free energy at 97%. This means the recovered heat will also be 97% carbon free.” Haminan Energia said the project will meet 80% of the local district heating network’s annual demand. Google has a major presence in Hamina, a port city on the Gulf of Finland. The company has said that since 2011 it has pumped water from the nearby bay to cool its servers. A company official said, “We’ve long wanted to channel our recovered heat offsite to be used by the local community.” The district heating project was announced at the same time as Google said it would invest €1 billion ($1.1 billion) into a seventh expansion of its Hamina data center. The Helsinki Times quoted a Google official as saying the investment “will help to unlock the potential of artificial intelligence for companies not only in Kymenlaakso [the region where Hamina is located], but across Finland and Europe.” Finnish officials have said Google has been the biggest investor in Finland for the past decade. “Finland is harnessing the power of waste-to-heat technology to meet its heating and cooling needs,” said Daniel Jarrett, CEO of Australia-based Queensland Solar and Lighting. Jarrett has experience in researching global energy markets, including during his time as Energy Manager at ActewAGL, an Australian utility. “This process takes heat from burning trash and industrial processes and turns it into thermal energy that can be used. The technology does two things: it provides a long-lasting source of heat and a big boost to reducing the amount of trash that ends up in landfills. In Finland, waste-to-heat plants are often connected to district heating systems. This makes it easy to get heat to homes and businesses in cities,” he explained. Jarrett told POWER, “In Finland, the first step in the waste-to-heat process is usually collecting and sorting household and business waste. Then, things that can’t be recycled are burned in facilities that are specifically made for that purpose. The heat that is released during this burning is collected and used to make steam, which can be used to heat directly or to turn turbines that make electricity. This approach, which produces both heat and electricity, makes the system even more efficient as a whole.” Jarrett added, “Finland’s waste-to-heat plants have high-tech pollution control systems to keep the damage to the environment to a minimum. These systems make sure that the emissions from burning things meet strict rules for the environment. Also, the ash that is made when things are burned is often recycled and used in building materials. This helps reduce waste even more and supports a circular economy.” Klemetti said bringing various industries together on energy projects is likely to continue. “Sector integration could progress even further. I see potential in harnessing unavoidable process gases from energy production and manufacturing. Interesting things are happening with syngas fermentation,” he said. “Companies like Synata Bio from the U.S. now have the ability to take waste offgases from processes like chemical production or municipal solid waste incineration and ferment them into ethanol. Crucially, such ethanol can then be processed into low-carbon chemicals and sustainable aviation fuel, which, in the latter case, would help the EU fulfill its new mandate in greening the aviation sector.” —Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
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Publish date : 2024-10-01 04:28:00
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