Renewable Energy In Finland
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Renewable energy in Finland increased from 34% of the total final energy consumption (TFEC) in 2011 to 48% by the end of 2021, primarily driven by
bioenergy Bioenergy is a type of renewable energy that is derived from plants and animal waste. The Biomass (energy), biomass that is used as input materials consists of recently living (but now dead) organisms, mainly plants. Thus, Fossil fuel, fossil fu ...
(38%),
hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
(6.1%), and
wind energy Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity ...
(3.3%). In 2021, renewables covered 53% of heating and cooling, 39% of electricity generation, and 20% of the transport sector. By 2020, this growth positioned Finland as having the third highest share of renewables in TFEC among
International Energy Agency The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization, established in 1974, that provides policy recommendations, analysis and data on the global energy sector. The 31 member countries and 13 associatio ...
(IEA) member countries. In 2020, Finland's share of renewables in gross final energy consumption reached 44.6%, surpassing the target of 38%. This excess enabled Finland to sell statistical transfers of renewable energy to EU member states not meeting their 2020 targets. In March 2021, Finland agreed to a transaction with Belgium, selling 1,376.5 GWh of renewable energy for EUR 18.6 million. After this sale, Finland's renewable energy share in gross final consumption was reported at 43.8%, still above the 2020 goal. Finland's climate strategy, aimed at
carbon neutrality Global net-zero emissions is reached when greenhouse gas emissions and removals due to human activities are in balance. It is often called simply net zero. ''Emissions'' can refer to all greenhouse gases or only carbon dioxide (). Reaching net ze ...
by 2035, focuses on increasing energy efficiency and advancing technological innovations, especially in sustainable hydrogen solutions for heavy transport and industry. According to data from 2021, Finland's
energy supply Energy supply is the delivery of fuels or transformed fuels to point of consumption. It potentially encompasses the extraction, transmission, generation, distribution and storage of fuels. It is also sometimes called energy flow. This supply o ...
was less dependent on
fossil fuels A fossil fuel is a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants or microplanktons), a process that occurs within geologica ...
compared to many other countries, with only 36% coming from these sources, significantly lower than the
International Energy Agency The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization, established in 1974, that provides policy recommendations, analysis and data on the global energy sector. The 31 member countries and 13 associatio ...
's average of 70%. The emphasis in Finland's
energy mix The energy mix is a group of different primary energy, primary energy sources from which secondary energy for direct use - such as electricity - is produced. Energy mix refers to all direct uses of energy, such as transportation and housing, and ...
has been on renewable sources like
biomass Biomass is a term used in several contexts: in the context of ecology it means living organisms, and in the context of bioenergy it means matter from recently living (but now dead) organisms. In the latter context, there are variations in how ...
, hydro, and
wind power Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity ge ...
. These measures are part of Finland's efforts to decrease
energy intensity Energy intensity is a Measurement, measure of the efficient energy use, energy inefficiency of an Economic system, economy. It is calculated as units of energy per unit of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) or some other measure of economic output. Hi ...
and improve
energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption (as opposed to household energy insecurity). Access to cheaper energy has become essential to the functioning of modern ...
.


Renewable energy growth and targets

According to the
International Energy Agency The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization, established in 1974, that provides policy recommendations, analysis and data on the global energy sector. The 31 member countries and 13 associatio ...
's (IEA) 2023 Energy Policy Review, Finland saw a notable increase in its total final energy consumption (TFEC) from renewable sources, growing from 34% to 48% between 2011 and 2021. This increase was driven by a growth in bioenergy from 29% to 38% of TFEC, hydroelectric power from 4.7% to 6.1%, and wind energy from 0.2% to 3.3%. By 2020, Finland's share of renewables in TFEC ranked third highest among the 31 IEA member countries. In 2021, renewable energy accounted for 43% overall, 39% in electricity, 53% in heating and cooling, and 20% in transport. For 2030, renewable energy targets have been set at 51% overall, with specific aims of 53% in electricity, 61% in heating and cooling, and 45% in transport.


Energy in Finland

Finland differs from most industrialized countries in that many of its energy needs stem from the Nordic conditions. Finland is located between 60 and 70 degrees northern latitude and a quarter of its area lies north of the Arctic Circle. In fact, one third of all people living north of the 60th parallel are Finns. The annual mean temperature in the south of the country is around 5 °C and 0 °C in the north. The population-weighted average number of heating degree days for Finland is 5000, considerably more than in Sweden and Norway (4000). Thus, the Finnish climate is the coldest in the EU and, consequently, a large share of the energy (22%) is used for the heating of buildings.VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, 2002.
Renewable Energy Resources in Finland
'. OPET Report 9.
Finland's energy consumption increased 44% in electricity and 30% in total energy use during the period 1990–2006. The increase in electricity consumption of 15,000 GWh (1995–2005) was more than Finland's total
hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
power capacity. The consumption increased almost equally in all sectors (industry, residential, and services). The share of renewable electricity in Finland has been stable (1998–2005): 11-12% plus yearly variable hydroelectric power, totaling 24-27%. The forest industries contributed 57% of the RE power generation via black liquor and wood burning in 1990. By 2005 this share had grown to 67%.Energy statistics 2006, Finnish statistical center, Tilastokeskus, energiatilasto, Vuosikirja 2006. The rest consisting primarily of hydroelectric power. As with most first world countries, the vast majority of commercially viable hydroelectric sites in Finland have already been developed. The forest industry uses 30% of all electricity in Finland (1990–2005). Its process wastes, wood residues, and black liquor were used to produce 7-8000 GWh of electricity in 2005. However, during that year electricity consumption fell 10% compared to 2004 as a result of a prolonged forest industry labour dispute. Finland's power consumption was (2005) 17.3 MW electricity per capita compared to Germany 7.5 MW per capita. This number includes the power losses of the distribution. According to the
International Renewable Energy Agency The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organization mandated to facilitate cooperation, advance knowledge, and promote the adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy. It is the first international organis ...
(IRENA), Finland's renewable energy sector in 2020 was predominantly fueled by bioenergy, which accounted for 81% of the renewable energy supply. Hydro/marine sources contributed 12%, wind power made up 6%, and geothermal sources added 1%, with solar energy contributions not explicitly mentioned. Finnish CO2 emissions grew 14.5% (1990:2004), while the EU average was - 0.6%.


Government policy

The Finnish energy policy is based on the National Climate Strategy of 2001, updated in 2005 and 2008. The strategy provides the basis for policy preparation, decision-making and negotiations on national, EU and international levels. In its most recent adaptation, the strategy focuses on setting guidelines up to 2020 and a vision as far as 2050 to steer long-term planning. The aim is to fulfil the Kyoto Protocol and its obligations by 2013. By that time, adequate post-Kyoto emission reduction measures should be in place, including the set of measures required of EU countries by 2020 by common agreement. To that end, the EU requires its members to report by 2016 about their ability to meet the obligations set for 2020. With regard to renewables, the EU goals aim to a share of 38% of final energy consumption in Finland by 2020, compared to 28.5% in 2005 and a previous national goal of 31% by 2020. The national long-term vision aims at halting the growth of final energy consumption on one hand, and increasing the share of renewables on the other hand. To attain these objectives, the energy efficiency of consumption must be enhanced, particularly in housing, construction and transport, and new policy measures must be enacted to promote renewables. The government expects the growing global demand of fossil fuels to drive their prices further up in the long term. Combined with the cost of emission allowances, this will significantly change the price relationship of fossil and renewable energy in favour of the latter. The government envisions significant growth in the use of wood-based energy, waste fuels, heat pumps, biogas and wind energy. A feed-in tariff system will be introduced as a major new policy measure to drive the introduction of renewables. Other major points in the strategy include: * The use of bioenergy in the forest industry will be maximised. * The use of wood residues from forestry as a fuel and raw material will be tripled by 2020 to 12 million m3. * The government will support the installation of heat pumps, bioenergy and solar energy systems for space heating. * The use of fossil oil for heating will end at the latest during the 2020s. * The use of agricultural biomass and biogas as fuels will be increased. * New technologies for transportation biofuel production will be explored with the aim of having a share of 10% for biofuels in transport fuel use by 2020. * Installed wind power capacity will increase to 2000 MW by 2020 from the present 120 MW with the help of various subsidies. * The government will support the use of off-shore wind power by leasing the sea areas with low tariffs. * The government will encourage power uprates in old hydropower plants and the construction of some new hydropower plants. * The use of recycled fuels will increase with 150% by 2020. Finland already has among the highest shares of renewables, yet Finland for a long time did not use feed-in tariffs, fixed premiums, green certificate systems or tendering procedures. Lately some new policies have been adopted. From the European countries, Finland,
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
and
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
are the only ones (2006) that use only tax incentives to promote wind energy and other renewable electricity. Finland has no obligations or binding recommendations for the power companies to promote RE. Finland was one of the few that opposed the
sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...
criteria of
biofuel Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from Biomass (energy), biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels such as oil. Biofuel can be produced from plants or from agricu ...
s in the EU in 2013.


Private sector

Energy markets in Finland are based on free enterprise and open competition. The electric power industry in Finland has been open for competition since the new electricity market legislation in 1995. At the same occasion Finland joined the joint Nordic electricity market area where spot prices for electricity are determined at the common electricity exchange Nordpool. Power can be bought and sold freely in Finland, Sweden, Norway and most parts of Denmark. For district heat there is no national market for technological reasons, as heat cannot be transported over long distances. However, district heat is largely produced by the same energy companies in centralised district heating plants or CHP plants. Locally there is usually only one district heat provider available, which means that the competition takes place between alternative heat sources. Biomass fuels and peat are commonly used for district heating. Some district heat is also sold in small scale by local entrepreneurs who produce it with biomass fuels. The government company for promoting energy efficiency, Motiva, has a program for promoting small scale heating entrepreneurship. In the Nordic electricity market, each country is independently responsible for its transmission grid. In Finland the local distribution grids are owned primarily by local energy companies. The national transmission grid is owned by the Fingrid corporation which for its part is owned jointly by the state, energy companies and financial investors. Major changes in the ownership of Fingrid are expected as new EU legislation will forbid energy producers from owning parts of the transmission grid. The largest electricity producers in Finland are Fortum, the state energy company, Pohjolan Voima, the energy company owned by major industries, Teollisuuden Voima, the industry-owned nuclear power company, Helsingin Energia, the power company of Helsinki City, and Vattenfall, the largest energy company of Sweden. There are also a large number of small and medium-sized local energy companies. A special feature of the Finnish electricity markets is companies like Pohjolan Voima and Teollisuuden Voima that operate with the Mankala-principle. That is, they do not pay dividends, but rather provide power to their owners without seeking profit. Moreover, many of the industrial corporations are themselves major energy producers as in a number of factories process wastes are used as fuels. In most cases such fuels originate from wood processing and, therefore, count as renewables. Thus major producers of bioenergy in Finland include all the major wood and
paper industry The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood, specifically pulpwood, as raw material and produce pulp, paper, paperboard, and other cellulose-based products. Manufacturing process In the manufacturing process, pulp is intro ...
corporations: Stora-Enso, UPM and M-Real. Furthermore, the national oil company,
Neste Oil Neste Oyj (international name: Neste Corporation; former names Neste Oil Corporation and Fortum Oil and Gas Oy; ) is an oil refining and marketing company located in Espoo, Finland. It produces, refines and markets oil products, provides ...
, is a growing producer of
biofuel Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from Biomass (energy), biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels such as oil. Biofuel can be produced from plants or from agricu ...
s and biodiesel in particular. Largest hydropower producers are the state-owned companies Fortum and Kemijoki and the industry-owned Pohjolan Voima. The largest producer of wind power in Finland is the Hyötytuuli corporation, owned by the energy companies of various cities. Hyötytuuli produces about one third of wind power in Finland. The rest is produced by a large number of companies in relatively small power plants. Finland is a growing producer of RES related technology. The volume of trade of all energy technology to and from Finland is shown in Figure 4. RES technologies hold a significant share of this trade. The largest producers of RE technology in Finland include * ABB, produces among other things components to wind power plants. * WinWind, producer of wind power plants. * Foster Wheeler and Metso Power, producers of boilers for biomass and other fuels. * NAPS Systems, producer of solar panels. Smaller companies that produce energy-related clean technology include Aidon, Bearing Drive Finland, DGT Direct Granulation Technology, EcoSir, Finnish Electric Vehicle technologies, Greenvironment, Modilis, Primet, Puhdas Energia and The Switch. Energy efficiency in Finland is advanced by the state-owned company Motiva. Public funding for the development of new technologies is primarily distributed by the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation Tekes.


Employment

In total electricity and district heat production employed 14,000 people and oil refining and distribution 13,500 people out of the 2,500,000 people employed in Finland in 2003. Bioenergy sector employed an estimated 6000-7000 people. The total employment in the energy sector numbered 34,000 people in 2004. These numbers include renewable and non-renewable energies as there are no separate statistics. The major renewable energy sources, namely hydropower and bioenergy are produced in a large scale, where business models and jobs are similar to other large-scale energy production. There is additionally small scale production of renewable energy that tends to generate small enterprise and a proportionally greater number of jobs. For example, the Ministry of Employment the Economy has conducted a research that found that there are 368 small bioenergy companies that provide 1,667 jobs. The number of companies and jobs has grown steadily in the past years and the growth is expected to continue given the ambitious goals for bioenergy in the national
climate and energy In the 21st century, the Earth's climate and its energy policy interact and their relationship is studied and governed by a variety of national and international institutions. The relationships between energy-resource depletion, climate change, ...
strategy. Given that there is established production of wind power plants and plant components, the increased use of wind power in Finland and elsewhere can be expected to create jobs in the sector. This would generate demand for professionals of all levels in mechanical, material and electrical technology. Similar demand can be expected from the increased use of bioenergy and the production of the necessary power plant components. Professionals in chemistry and life sciences and related fields will be needed for the envisioned development and production of the next generation of biofuels. They will also have an important role in developing the forest industry towards more versatile biorefineries instead of traditional pulp and paper mills. Finally the strengths of the Finnish electronics industry and education can give rise to a variety of clean technologies such as solar power, control systems for power production and consumption, electric vehicles, etc.


Energy sources


Biomass


Heat and power

Bioenergy, closely associated with Finland's forestry and forest industry, plays a significant role in the country's renewable energy portfolio. Wood-based fuels, derived from forest industry by-products such as black liquor, bark, sawdust, and industrial wood residues, along with biomass from
logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucks Biomass is widely used as a fuel in electricity production, CHP plants and district heating, often mixed with other fuels, especially peat. In fact, Finland is among the world leaders in the use of CHP. Both renewable and fossil fuels are used. The world's largest bio power plant with a capacity of 265 MW is situated in Jakobstad in Finland. Wood is also used directly for heating. In total around 6 million m3 or 50 PJ of firewood are used annually for space heating. There are also dedicated boilers that burn wood chips or pellets. Fuel oil fired heating can be converted to use pellets, which has been estimated to have a potential of 25 PJ/a. Agricultural biomass production takes place on a modest scale. Annually around 6000 tons of straw is used as a fuel, while theoretically a maximum of 1.8 million tons could be used. Furthermore, turnip rape is cultivated on about 860 hectares mainly for lubrication oil and diesel oil production. Finally, there is some interest in the possibility of growing reed canary grass for use as a fuel. Some tests have been carried out in its use in multifuel boilers and as a raw material for pellets. Finland uses insignificant
wood pellet Pellet fuels (or pellets) are a type of solid fuel made from compressed organic material. Pellets can be made from any one of five general categories of biomass: industrial waste and co-products, food waste, agricultural residues, energy crops, an ...
quantities for thermal energy production. In Sweden and Denmark active energy politics with significant taxation of fossil energy has encouraged an early development of the pellet market. This development has taken place much faster than in Finland where economic incentives are missing, and competing sources of energy are cheap. Pellet production was 192,000 tons (2005). Pellet consumption was 55,000 t (2005), 47,000 t (2004), 39,000 t (2003), 24,000 t (2002) ja 15,000 t (2001). The pellets are mainly exported. Finland has no binding objectives for pellet use promotion.Energy statistics 2006, Finnish statistical center, Tilastokeskus, energiatilasto, Vuosikirja 2006.


Automotive fuels

The European Union has the objective of 5.75% of biofuels (2010). The biofuels report do not include the Finnish objective. They are not published yet. The Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry report (KTM 11/2006) admits that Finland would not be able to fulfill the 5.75% objective. The ministry report does not recommend it, because of its expenses. The production price of biofuels in Finland would be equal to other EU countries, 3 cents per liter. The Finnish parliament did not consider bioethanol competitive in Finland. The director of Altia resigned as Altia's major bioethanol project failed; increased costs made it unprofitable. However, St1 produces bioethanol from food industry wastes.
Neste Oil Neste Oyj (international name: Neste Corporation; former names Neste Oil Corporation and Fortum Oil and Gas Oy; ) is an oil refining and marketing company located in Espoo, Finland. It produces, refines and markets oil products, provides ...
produces 0.34 million tons per year renewable diesel ( NExBTL) by vegetable oil refining in its Porvoo refinery. Currently the main feedstock is
palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...
. The public transportation in the Helsinki metropolitan area uses NExBTL. The pulp and paper company UPM is in the process of starting biodiesel production from tall oil. However, a number of projects for biodiesel production have been cancelled due to poor profitability. Finnish government supports biodiesel use financially.


Biodiesel

Finnish company
Neste Oil Neste Oyj (international name: Neste Corporation; former names Neste Oil Corporation and Fortum Oil and Gas Oy; ) is an oil refining and marketing company located in Espoo, Finland. It produces, refines and markets oil products, provides ...
biodiesel Biodiesel is a renewable biofuel, a form of diesel fuel, derived from biological sources like vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled greases, and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made from fats. The roots of bi ...
production capacity in
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
is 2.9 million tons. After 2022, the new capacity is predicted to be 1.3 million tons more. Neste oil predicts that the world biodiesel demand will be 20 million tons in 2030, and its own production will be half of this. Neste believes there will be an increased demand for airplane fuels. A 10 to 15 percent increase in biodiesel demand in Europe and the US would be equal to 8-12 million tons fuel per year. In 2019, annual fossil biodiesel consumption is estimated to be as much as 900 million tons. According to McKinsey, the fossil biodiesel consumption will not reduce by 2030. Neste biodiesel is mainly based on palm oil process wastes. Finland has classified palm oil fatty acid residues as sustainable. The WWF approves certified palm oil. In Europe at least,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
,
Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
do not approve palm oil fatty acid residues (PFAD) as waste and sustainable bioenergy. According to
Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...
, its use accelerates
deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
. The palm oil biodiesel has higher climate change gas emissions compared to fossil diesel when the rain forest loss is included and palm oil fat should not be classified as sustainable waste. It is a product sold in markets as raw material. According to Neste, spoil advertisement palm oil biodiesel production chain includes crimes, corruption and human right violations. One of the Neste Oil palm oil providers Bilmar is responsible in
rain forest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
.


Hydro power

In 2022, hydropower constituted 16.3 percent of Finland's total electricity generation, with an installed capacity of 3,200 MW. Projections indicate little change in hydropower capacity in the foreseeable future.


Wind power


Solar power

Despite its northern position, Finland enjoys similar levels of annual sunshine to Germany or Denmark. Lower atmospheric temperatures in Finland enhance solar photovoltaic cell efficiency, as these cells operate more effectively in colder conditions. Nonetheless, solar energy faces technical challenges due to its
intermittency In dynamical systems, intermittency is the irregular alternation of phases of apparently periodic and chaotic dynamics ( Pomeau–Manneville dynamics), or different forms of chaotic dynamics (crisis-induced intermittency). Experimentally ...
, particularly in the Arctic region with its pronounced day-night and seasonal variations. In 2022, Finland's solar power capacity grew by over 60 percent, yet it remains a minor component of the country's overall power generation.


Photovoltaics

The PV capacity of Finland was (2006) 4.1 MWp. Solar power in Finland was (1993–1999) 1 GWh, (2000–2004) 2 GWh and (2005) 3 GWh.Energy Statistics Yearbook 2006, Official Statistics of Finland (GWh) There has been at least one demonstration project by the YIT Rakennus, NAPS Systems, Lumon and City of Helsinki in 2003. Finland is not a member either in the IEA's
Photovoltaic Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially ...
Power Systems Programme or the Scandinavian Photovoltaic Industry Association, SPIA.


Solar heating

The objective in solar heating is 163,000 m2 collector area (1995–2010).ESTIF Sun in Action II – A Solar Thermal Strategy for Europe, vol. 2
The Solar Thermal Sector Country by Country, 21 National Reports, 348 s., 4/2003
In 2006 the collector area in operation was 16,493 m2. Solar heat in Finland was (1997–2004) 4-5 GWh and (2005) 6 GWh. Thus, Finland has installed 10% of its objective in 11 years time (1995–2010). The solar heating has not been competitive due to cheap alternatives (electricity, fuel oil and district heating) and the lack of support systems. Companies and public organizations may receive 40% investment subsidies, but private houses do not receive subsidies yet. The Finnish Solar Industries (FSI) group was established in 2001. 2006/2005 the markets grew 43%. Finland's production capacity is 16,000 m2/a. New installations were: 2,380 m2 (2006), 1,668 m2 (2005) and 1,141 m2 (2004). There are growth opportunities in the solar heating.


Peat

According to European Union and IPCC peat is not biofuel as claimed but have equal CO2 emissions to coal. The EU also promotes the protection of swamps from ecological disasters. The Finnish peat company Vapo Oy is owned by the state (50.1%) and the forest industry company Metsäliitto (49.9%) (including Metsä-Botnia, M-real and Metsä Tissue and previously also Finnforest). They want to use the peat as fuel and dry the swamps as forests. Scandinavian peat was formed 10,000 years ago after the
ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...
. In 2005 the European common carbon dioxide emission system was agreed, and according to the agreement peat is equal to fossil fuel. Many peat energy plants can use coal as alternative energy source.Pula turpeesta ajaa kivihiilen käyttöön HS 26.2.2013 B8


Table: RE of electricity


Table: RE of total energy

The renewable energy of
primary energy Primary energy (PE) is the energy found in nature that has not been subjected to any human engineered conversion process. It encompasses energy contained in raw fuels and other forms of energy, including waste, received as input to a system. Pri ...
was 24.0% (2005) and 24.1% (2004). Total primary energy supply was 392,022 (2005) and 418,672 GWh (2004). The primary energy includes in addition to the energy consumption also e.g. the heating up of the Baltic Sea by the nuclear power plant waste heat. In the table is the contribution of RE to electricity production for the EU-25 by 2020.


See also

* Solar energy in Finland * Wind power in Finland * List of renewable energy topics by country *
List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions per capita This is a list of sovereign states and territories by per capita carbon dioxide emissions due to certain forms of human activity, based on thEDGAR databasecreated by European Commission. The following table lists the annual per capita emissi ...
* Electricity sector in Finland * Energy in Finland * Finland National Renewable Energy Action Plan * Renewable energy in Norway * Renewable energy in Sweden * Renewable energy in Denmark * Renewable energy in the European Union *
Renewable energy by country This is a list of renewable energy topics by country and territory. These links can be used to compare developments in renewable energy in different countries and territories and to help and encourage new writers to participate in writing about ...


References


External links


Ministry of Employment and the Economy, Renewable Energy SourcesClimate Change and Energy Strategy 2008 summaryBioenergy in FinlandDatabase of renewable energy in FinlandEuropean Commission, Energy, 2015 Progress Reports, FinlandEuropean Commission National Renewable Energy Action PlansEuropean Commission National Energy Efficiency Energy Action Plans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Renewable Energy In Finland