UPM-Biofore-Magazine-2-2019

TEXT Vesa Puoskari PHOTOGRAPHY UPM; Courtesy of the interviewee

Consumers are eager to adopt new solutions to manage their energy consumption.

I n the future, electricity will be countries, the change is already well under way, with developing economies following suit. Jukka Leskelä , Managing Director at Finnish Energy, confirms that the change is taking place rapidly. The current trend both in Finland and internationally is to focus investment on renewable energy sources. Global investments in renewable energy will reach EUR 2.3 trillion by the end of this decade. produced with close to zero carbon dioxide emissions. In industrialised In Finland, emission-free electricity represented 79% of total production in 2018. “Approximately 10% of electricity is already produced by wind power, and this volume could triple in the next decade. The growth depends on the market’s capacity for wind energy,” Leskelä explains. Hydropower is also gaining traction. Water is an excellent energy reserve that allows producers to balance fluctuations in electricity demand. “In Finland, we have limited opportunities for increasing the volume of hydropower, so we have to take good care of our current capacity,” Leskelä states. Solar energy, too, is increasing gradually, with current forecasts predicting that approximately 1–5% of electricity production will be solar by 2030. “The infrastructure for utilising solar energy is primarily built for the needs of households, private properties and services. The advantages offered by solar energy are greater when the producer is able to utilise the electricity themselves,” says Leskelä.

WINDS OF CHANGE IN EMISSION- FREE ENERGY

28 | UPM BIOFORE BEYOND FOSSILS