Helsinki’s Combined District Heating & Cooling

In Helsinki, the capital city of Finland, Helen Ltd. operates an award-winning efficient combined heat and power (CHP)-based district heating and cooling system.

Location: Helsinki, Finland
Operator: HELEN
Project: Combining District Heating and District cooling
Helsinki heat demand: 90% covered by efficient district heating
Length of the district heating network: over 1,350 km, expanding by 15-20 km annually

The system is constantly being improved. Recirculation of energy flows, excess heat from buildings heated by the sun and gathered with district cooling, go into the system creating an integrated, very efficient energy system where only a minimal amount of energy is wasted. Currently, more than 80 % of the district cooling energy in Helsinki is produced from energy sources that would otherwise be unutilised. The amount of renewable heat harnessed from the system is growing year by year. A record amount, over 40 000 MWh of renewable district heat was collected from the sun in the summer of 2014 (in only three months) through the system and the total amount of renewable district heat gathered from the system grew to 90 000 MWh in 2014. CHP production, district cooling and district heating complement each other perfectly. Helen provides a replicable and scalable innovative energy production and distribution model.

The Helsinki district heating and cooling system won a 2015 Global District Energy Climate Award. You can read the full case study.