Geoenergy and coffee bring old partners new ideas

It is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. The creation of the low-emission hybrid energy solution at Mirka’s Power Tools facilities, in Jakobstad, Finland. It is designed to keep the factory facility self-sufficient in heating and cooling and it combines a new geofield, heat pumps, solar panels and a district heating system. The latter as back-up for the coldest days of winter. This way, the production facility of Mirka runs on 98 percent renewable energy.

The energy system was put in place during 2023 with business ongoing as usual, but not only at Mirka’s factory. Production was also running at another company being a tenant in the very same facility. Beside this, there was construction work going on for the expansion of Mirka’s existing factory. This means construction workers and equipment were all over the property. Not to mention the heavy traffic.

Despite the concerns of Anssi Juvonen and his team at Adven, there wasn’t much worry from the other side of the table. On that chair was Mirka’s project office manager Jari Lemberg confidently seated. He has been with Mirka as long as the two companies have been partners in energy, just over 20 years.

He refers to the common history of the two companies which includes a handful of energy systems, in various Finnish locations. Actually the cooperation started already before by the turn of the century. He hardly dares to mention it, but back then the two partners in energy worked with heavy fuel oil boilers.

“Fortunately, those days are long gone. Now we are, since many years back already, operating CO2-chasing energy solutions together, at several Mirka-sites, all over Finland”, Jari Lemberg emphasizes.

Geoenergy is solar energy stored under our feet. It is one of the most climate beneficial energy forms that we know of and can be extracted from the bedrock or from the surface of the soil. It can be utilized for both heating and cooling. In the Jakobstad factory it is used for both purposes depending on the season, and the solution is boosted by heat pumps.

When the expansion of Jakobstad’s Power Tools facilities began in 2022, it was to meet the increased demand for electric sanders. While at it, one of Mirka’s goals was finding an efficient and more sustainable energy production for the whole new site. The geoenergy based hybrid system now in place met the goal and also reduced the factory’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by 900 tons.

“CO₂-reductions are a key ambition of Mirka’s, but the Euro”, Jari Lemberg underlines, “is actually a good consultant too.”

He is referring to energy efficiency as saving not only carbon dioxide emissions but also costs. As his energy partner Adven keeps repeating, Mirka too states that climate and business really do walk hand in hand. Less energy used is a win-win, and both climate and regulations demand actions. Emissions ratios and allowances set by the EU and others will be more strict and rigorous over time.

In terms of energy systems, the two managers do not consider the Jakobstad hybrid solution as being big. Speaking of geoenergy solutions though, they do. The 115 geoenergy wells, each of them 340 meters deep, are as said reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the Jakobstad factory by 900 tons annually, but it is more to it than that.

For Mirka it is not only a new geofield. It is also their first, but certainly not the last, geoenergy based energy system. To Adven the combined challenges of the hybrid solution in Jakobstad were special – like the installation of the energy central. There was actually not enough workspace and logistics were tight.

“In a situation like this our long-term cooperation comes in handy as we could plan our every move very carefully together”, Anssi Juvonen explains.

As there was no space to construct the energy central at the site in Jakobstad, Adven didn’t. The central was instead built elsewhere, put in a container, transported to Jakobstad – and lifted into place pretty much as if putting a cassette into a video player back in the days.

“We have done this a few times when we are really lacking workspace and we call it the container solution”, Anssi Juvonen explains.

To Mirka the long-term partnership, the Energy as a Service® concept and the local staff are vital. Two decades of cooperation bring experience, skills and good practice. Also, as Jari Lemberg underlines, with time people get to know each other and build cross company teams handling needs and solving problems together.

“We just have a coffee and discuss. After a cup, or sometimes two, the problem is solved! It’s as easy as that”, says Jari Lemberg and gets a nod from Anssi Juvonen.

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