In Central Finland the bioenergy branch has a "secret weapon". For enterprises it opens up the opportunity for new kinds of testing as well as exports of bioenergy-related equipment to the international market.
The "secret weapon" is something not found elsewhere in Finland. It is located at the Bioenergy Development Centre (BDC) in Saarijärvi, 65 kilometres north-west of Jyväskylä. That special something is a new-generation boiler testing laboratory which bioenergy-branch companies can make use of in their product development.
The boiler testing laboratory is set to be the only place in Finland where it is possible to study and test run heating boilers as big as 1 000 kilowatts in size. JAMK University of Applied Sciences, in cooperation with VTT Expert Services Oy, is building an accredited testing service for heating boilers rated at up to 500 kilowatts, which guarantees the exploitability of the test results where exports are concerned, too.
"The objective is to work with companies operating in the bioenergy branch to develop novel solutions. We can help to test ideas and conduct product development," says Head of Department Pekka Äänismaa of JAMK University of Applied Sciences.
The BDC is located at JAMK's Saarijärvi unit. Its task is to generate and disseminate new information as well as boost companies' competitiveness and opportunities for growth in the bioenergy branch.
The boiler testing laboratory is one demonstration of the solid bioenergy expertise to be found in Central Finland. The region has long traditions in the use of wood and the development of biofuels.
"Bioenergy is the most important form of energy by which Finland is planning to achieve its climate target. It will also help to boost economic activity in rural areas, since the bioenergy branch is one of the few growth segments in sparsely populated areas. We still have work to do on refining different types of biomass and finding new uses for them," comments Äänismaa on the current major interest in bioenergy.
One new departure would be to decentralize the production of electricity with the help of biomass. Äänismaa finds the thought of small-scale production of heat and electricity using biofuels interesting. "Wood could be turned into wood-gas, for instance, and then used. The development of totally new fuels from biomass also strikes a chord. These new ideas are still in search of a commercial foothold."
Äänismaa explains that in future, too, the focus of development will be on improving the growing, harvesting and logistics chain of biofuels and on using various forms of biomass in small-sized plants. It is also essential to study biofuel handling and quality management as well as associated emissions. It is around all these that entrepreneurship in the bioenergy-branch will revolve and which, appropriately supported, will generate new business and new jobs.
By the end of 2010 Central Finland will possess nine power plants making use of biofuels with a total thermal power of over 1 500 megawatts. The plants predominantly use biomass harvested locally.
"Virtually all municipalities in Central Finland make use of biofuels for their district heating. The region also has an increasing number of systems in specific building complexes that employ biofuels," ventures Markku Paananen, Development Manager with the Dynamic Bioenergy Cluster Programme.
Central Finland is blessed with exceptionally extensive expertise in the study and use of biofuels. The region has long had a number of industrial players with an interest in using bioenergy. In addition visionary decisions and investments have been made in Central Finland to assist in developing bioenergy.
Experience and knowhow are also being used to the full to boost exports. Paananen explains that technology developed in Central Finland is one of the bioenergy branch's export products. There may also be demand abroad for specialist knowhow, in the form of different training packages, for instance.
"We would also have a chance to take bioenergy into the international market. Perhaps in the future Central Finland will also become an exporter of biofuels," Paananen continues. The branch's goal is for the value of exports from Central Finland to reach EUR 200 million by 2015. According to Paananen, in the short term the opportunities lie in Europe, but North America and Asia are also potential export markets.
Photo: As a growth branch, bioenergy has a significant role in maintaining prosperity in rural areas, stresses Pekka Äänismaa of JAMK University of Applied Sciences.
words by tommi salo, photo by petteri kivimäki