Gothenburg Energy – District heating and remote cooling

Circular economy is all about a framework for an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design. Unlike in todays linear economy, in a circular economy we see everything as a resource for something else – waste doesn’t exist. How do business models need to change to suit a circular economy? What does this new way of thinking mean for the business community? How can profitable business models be combined with social and environmental responsibility? How can we design products right from the beginning, and do things even better, instead of just less bad?

Perhaps the world’s greatest challenge is to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly fossil carbon dioxide. Several exciting and new innovative ways to replace fossil energy are under development in the area, such as the Algae pilot and Bioendev.

On the small island of Händelö, a part of the city of Norrköping in East Sweden, there is a remarkable energy symbiosis where the surplus from one company is used as a input to a neighbouring company. Everything is based on green energy!

Gothenburg solves its energy challenges with a combination of previous initiatives and new technology. District heating was first introduced back in the 1950s, and the whole of Gothenburg is heated with energy that would otherwise have been wasted.

Through a long-term perspective, Sweden has become a world leader in waste management in a sustainable way.

On this study tour we present three innovative methods for waste collection, all implemented in the Gothenburg region.