Photo: Suomen Tuulivoimayhdistys Ry
Researchers in Finland have launched a project to develop 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 NEO-CARBON ENERGY project.
— Solar and wind energy can provide major opportunities to create new jobs and export products for Finland, says Pasi Vainikka, Project Coordinator and Principal Scientist at VTT.
— The purpose of the project is to develop an energy system based on the storage of energy in the form of hydrocarbons, in other words conventional fuels.
An emission-free energy system based on solar and wind energy is a major challenge to develop due to varying levels of supply.
This kind of energy production will also be divided into much smaller units than today, with even individual households acting as energy suppliers.
Besides new energy storage technologies and services, the change also requires the creation of legislation related to the energy business, to energy markets and new business chains.
Finnish legislation does not yet take account of the needs of new forms of energy, their distribution and storage, including the trade in solar and wind energy generated by private citizens.
The total budget of the project is seven million euros. Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, has granted funding of five million euros for 2014-2016.
www.vtt.fi
www.lut.fi
www.utu.fi
Article first published in Good News from Finland.
