Helsinki Energy Challenge received more proposals than expected. Entries came from all over the world, from a total of 35 countries – most of them from Finland, Austria, Sweden, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada. Many of the participating teams are excellent examples of interdisciplinary and international expertise – the competition inspired innovators around the world to join forces.
The proposals submitted to the competition include several different types of solutions and a wealth of brand new ideas and concepts. They include solutions that combine or use existing technology in new ways, as well as proposals that include technical or non-technical innovations.
“I am very happy that the launch of Helsinki Energy Challenge attracted so much interest here in Finland and elsewhere in the world. Discussions in the first stage of the challenge the discussions, it became clear how fabulous project we have launched and how much of a positive it has brought the otherwise tough times. Through this competition, we wanted not only to to find answers to our own energy challenge also to provide Helsinki as a platform on which to build new, sustainable and future-proof solutions, and it seems that we have succeeded very well in this, as well as our goal of stimulating debate and new thinking on this important issue, both nationally and internationally. the global crisis, which we can only control clearly raising the ambition. I am glad that many of my colleagues around the world have expressed a desire to follow the example and is looking forward to Helsinki Energy Challenge teaching and gained solutions, “says the mayor of Helsinki Jan Vapaavuori.
โWe are very positively surprised by the exceptional teams formed through the Helsinki Energy Challenge. These teams certainly have the potential to produce creative and critical innovations in the future, including the needs of other cities. The competition has also created a completely new kind of cooperation between Finnish and international innovators. Hopefully this will create new international opportunities for these teams in the future. Helsinki Energy Challenge is not only a challenge competition, but also an innovative public procurement process. Therefore, unfortunately, we are not yet able to publish the content of the solutions. However, I already believe that the Helsinki Energy Challenge has many positive effects that we may not have even expected, โsays Helsinki Energy Challenge’s project manager. Laura Uuttu-Deschryvere.
The finalists were selected in November
Entries will be judged during October and finalist groups will be selected in early November. The evaluation criteria include the climate impact of the proposed solution, the impact on natural resources, the cost impact, the timing and feasibility of implementation, security of supply and capacity. The evaluation process uses the help of experts from different organizations to ensure that the best solutions move to the next stage of the competition process.
A maximum of 15 teams will be selected for the final stage of the Helsinki Energy Challenge. These teams are invited to a co-creation phase during which they receive support to further develop their solutions as well as additional information to customize the customization. the idea is even better in the context of Helsinki.
The international jury will evaluate the finalist groups’ final proposals in early 2021, and the winner will be announced in March 2021. The City of Helsinki is fulfilling its global responsibility to combat climate change and is committed to sharing the results of the competition openly so that other cities can benefit from their own climate work.
The city has a key role to play – the COVID-19 pandemic will not stop Helsinki’s climate work
Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, and cities have a crucial role to play in mitigating it. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Helsinki is constantly investing heavily in climate work. The climate crisis has not been reversed, and the City of Helsinki is working towards a carbon-neutral Helsinki by 2035. At present, more than half of Helsinki’s direct CO2 emissions come from the city’s heating. Therefore, finding a sustainable heating solution will have a critical impact on achieving the cityโs carbon neutrality goal. At present, more than half of Helsinki’s thermal energy is produced with coal, which must be phased out by 2029. Helsinki wants to find long-term sustainable solutions, which is why it does not want to replace the use of coal with biomass – burnt production.
Helsinki wants to find long-term sustainable solutions for the city’s heating in the future and serve as a platform for new and innovative solutions that will also benefit other cities around the world. To this end, it opened the international Helsinki Energy Challenge on 27 February 2020. The competition is looking for solutions that will enable the city to be heated sustainably for decades to come – without carbon and with as little biomass as possible. The main prize of the competition is one million euros.
HT
Source: The Nordic Page