Renewable & recycled energy

We strive to use as much energy from renewable and recycled sources in our operations as possible – both in our district heating and in our tailored solutions for industries and properties.

When replacing the use of fossil fuels in our operations with renewable and recycled energy sources, we lower our environmental footprint while taking advantage of resources that are left over in society and cannot be used for other purposes. We continously invite new customers and partners to join this transition by enabling them to shift from fossil fuels to renewable and recycled energy.

Read more about our environmental work and targets here.

What are renewable energy sources?

Renewable energy comes from sources that do not run out in the foreseeable future but are constantly being renewed or regrown. Here are some examples of what we use at Adven.

Forest residues

A biofuel made of leftovers from logging operations, such as treetops, branches, and wood chips.

Forest industry residues

By-products from industrial wood-processing operations, such as bark and sawdust, categorized as a biofuel.

Wood pellets

Made from various biomass sources, like sawdust and other by-products from the logging industry.

Geoenergy

Geothermal energy is stored beneath the ground and retrieved by using heat pumps driven by electricity.

What are recycled energy sources?

A recycled energy source is a residue from a process that, instead of being wasted, can be utilized as a fuel. It can be classified as both renewable and fossil, hazardous and non-hazardous. Here are some examples of what we use at Adven.

Industrial waste heat

The residual heat generated by industrial processes in for example the chemical, steel and pulp industries.

Recycled wood

Leftovers mainly from demolition timber. Contains for example paint and varnishes and therefore a fuel that is classified as both renewable and waste.

Industrial and household waste

Fuel produced from industrial and commercial waste, such as Solid recovered fuels (SRF) or Refuse-derived fuels (RDF), consists of for example wood, paper, plastics and textiles. Municipal solid waste (MSW), or “household waste”, is the everyday residual waste generated by households that is not sorted out seperatly for recycling or special care.

Sludge

This semi-solid slurry is a common by-product from many industrial processes and waste water plants.

Why turn waste to energy?

Just like many other sectors, the energy industry is in the middle of a big change becauase of climate change. When both transportation and industries switch from fossil to renewable materials, our heat plays an important role.

How? By using fuels that less actors are competing for when we can.

Society has a waste problem – and a big heating need

Using waste as a fuel frees up biofuel and electricity to the transition

Reducing the risk of toxins and hazardous substances ending up in the environment

When producing energy from some recycled fuel sources, such as recycled wood or industrial waste, it is very important that they are taken care of in an environmentally sound and safe way. Therefore, our facilities are equipped with powerful purification systems that sort out toxins such as heavy metals and other things we do not want to circulate further in our society.

In this way, we thus contribute to reducing the risk of hazardous substances ending up in nature – at the same time as we warm our customers.

The role of waste-to-energy in EU’s waste hierarchy

That no waste would ever be produced would be the dream of most societies. However, it is a utopia in a world where consumption is increasing avalanche-like. In the EU alone, 136 million tonnes of waste were put to landfill in 2022.

The waste hierarchy, or “waste ladder”, is an EU directive adopted by several countries to govern how the waste produced should be disposed of. By following it, we can all contribute to a more sustainable and circular society.

The 5 stages of the Waste Hierarchy:

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The EU’s waste management framework is built upon the five-step “waste hierarchy,” as outlined in the Waste Framework Directive.

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1. Minimize

First of all, we should all make sure to minimize the use of things that eventually generate waste, simply refrain from buying things or try to buy goods that are produced in a resource-efficient way.

2. Reuse

When we no longer have use for the item, such as a sweater, we can try to get the sweater reused by someone else, for example by giving it, or selling it, to someone who can use it.

3. Recycle

When the product no longer can be reused, the material must be recycled to the extent possible. We do this by material sorting so that the recycled materials can be reused to make new goods.

4. Extract the energy

If the waste cannot, or should not, be recycled, we as an energy company come into the picture. We can extract up to 90% of the energy in the material and sort out any toxins that we do not want to circulate in society – and make heat, and in some cases electricity from it. In this way at least the energy in the material can be utilized.

5. Landfill

Landfilling means throwing the waste in a landfill. It is the worst option and the last solution that we should try in every way to avoid. In the EU, about 136 million tonnes of waste is put in landfill every year, which is a lot of energy that could be used to heat large cities.