PETPASSION

PET bottles are collected by Returpack and sent next door to Cleanaway which manufactures products for new PET bottles.

The eco-cycle is closed. Pages 24-25.

mISSIONPOSSIblE

Petra has made the impossible possible. Creating ultraclean water. Now, the innovation is

on the market. Good water – no chemicals – solves most problems.

Pages 18-19.

brIllIANTdIAmONdS!

With over 350 patents, HTC secures its innovations which

make cement flooring durable, sustainable and easy to clean – all

without the use of chemicals. Pages 28-29.

MAGAZINE environmental technology in the twin cities of sweden

ContentwElcoME!

the region’s distinguishing feature – industrial ecology put into practice.

Pages 4-5

MPDUstrengthens and supports environ-

mental technology companies.Pages 12-13

froM cow to cArUnique collaboration creates vehicle gas.

Page 22

A GooD PUrPosEthe man who transforms

grease into fuel.Pages 8-9

MAGIc wAtErUsing ultraclean water, they remove

both chemicals and competitors.Pages 18-19

PAssIoN for PEta unique closed eco-cycle

system for Pet bottles. Pages 24-25

clIMAtE sMArt tAxIcontributes to a better inner-city environment.

Page 26

wIth focUs oN clEANtEchcleantech Östergötland coordinates and

promotes environmental technology.Pages 6-7

häNDElö ENErGy coMPlExone of the world’s most

effective energy complexes.Pages 14-17

holMEN PAPErhas reduced Bravikens oil

consumption by 80%.Page 23

EDItorlina skandevall, skandevall media aB

GrAPhIcs DEsIGN & lAyoUtsimon ahlvin, signed by simon

Photoida ling flanagan, niclas sandberg, oscar lürén

tExtlina skandevall, henrik lenngren, charlotte magnusson,

expert english training sweden aB (translation)

PUblIshED bymarknadsbolaget fjärde storstadsregionen

and regionförbundet Östsam.

PrINttellogruppen söderköping, lic.nr. 341363

EcoNovAcreates both socio-economic and environmental benefits.

Pages 10-11

bAAs EvolvEs bIoGAstekniska verken cooperates

with Professor leo Baas. Pages 20-21

sIEMENsgovernment subsidies get

turbines moving.Page 27

brIllIANt DIAMoNDsdiamonds are forever, and so are

the floors that HTC cleans. Pages 28-29

ENvIroNMENtAl scIENcE ProGrAMME

Prepares students for a complex and changeable world.

Page 30

24

27 12

2228

14 20

Miljömärkt trycksak från TelloGruppen Söderköping, lic.nr. 341363

4 CleanteCh Magazine 5CleanteCh Magazine

businessopportunitYIn your hand you are holding a magazine about the cleantech industry in the Twin Cities of Sweden – a leading environmental technology region in terms of the number of employees in the sector. A sound culture of cooperation between the public sector, academia and private sector has developed over a long period of time. A good example of this is Cleantech Östergötland which is a business-oriented collaborative arena for regional actors within the fields of environ-mental and energy technology. Regional companies represent world-class examples focusing on the areas of recycling, waste to energy and renewable fuel.

Industrial ecology put into practiceIndustrial ecology has become a distin-guishing feature for the Twin Cities of Sweden. For a long time now, we have been working to transform environmental problems into business opportunities and the region offers numerous good examples of industrial ecology put into practice. At Händelö, on the outskirts of Norrköping, two renewable fuels are produced in sym-biosis with the power and heating plants – energy production which to a large extent

is based on biofuel. In Linköping, a range of partners cooperate in order to produce biogas from organic waste from, for exam-ple, the food industry.

Another significant area is recycling where the region’s strategic location has made it very attractive for the logistic-intensive recycling industry. Hubs for the national collection systems of aluminium cans and PET bottles are located here. The concept of ‘Waste to Energy’ is well-implemented in the region and is in con-stant development in the private sector and academia.

Furthermore, production and research in the field of renewable fuels is a prominent competence area in the region. The renew-able fuels in use today are all produced in the Twin Cities of Sweden. The world’s most energy-efficient ethanol is produced here, biogas is extracted from different substrates and a regional innovation facilitates small-scale bio-diesel production the world over.

A ’climate-smart’ regionIn the Twin Cities of Sweden, we unite sustainable development with strong op-timism for the future. As municipalities, we can hasten the development towards a

‘climate-smart’ region by taking strategic long-term decisions at the right point in time which create the prerequisites for sustainable develop-ment. Municipal initiatives can be seen in the examples of the expansion of the district heat-ing network and the use of renewable fuels in town bus fleets. These investments have led to international visitors making a pilgrimage here to visit our facilities and explore how it is all put into practice.

We hope that the magazine articles inspire you to visit the region so that you can acquaint yourselves with the business and investment opportunities we offer. We wish you a very warm welcome!

Eva Andersson, Municipal Commissioner, the Municipality of Norrköping

Paul Lindvall, Chairman of the Executive Board and Municipal Commissioner, The Municipality of Linköping

From problem to

6 CleanteCh Magazine 7CleanteCh Magazine

CleanteCh

With focus on

Östergötland has over 500 environmental technology companies and a world-class research and eco-industrial system to show. Just over a year ago, an environmental technology centre was founded that will promote the Twin Cities of Sweden’s en-vironmental technology internationally and stimulate regional companies to get involved with environmental technology. The centre was created by the municipali-ties of Linköping and Norrköping together with Linköping University, the Östsam Regional Development Council and envi-ronmental technology companies.

The main mission is to gather, support, promote and coordinate the environmental sector in the Twin Cities of Sweden through a non-profit organisation – Cleantech Östergötland. The starting point is environ-mental technology, one of the Twin Cities of Sweden’s strongest industries, with waste handling, recycling, renewable fuels, prod-uct development and services plus research and training as important aspects.

“This is a result of what the region’s ac-tors have done for a long time. Our mission is to publicize it,” says Gert Kindgren.

The entirety is interesting to visitorsThe Twin Cities of Sweden has something to show that few regions in Sweden have – an eco-industrial system.

“The biogas venture in Linköping, along with the energy cluster at Händelö, has at-tracted great international attention. When we supplement this with additional informa-tion, it becomes really interesting for those who visit us,” Gert Kindgren continues.

“There are forward-looking munici-palities here that have made strategic decisions at the right moments, such as the long-term establishment of district heating and the use of renewable fuels. Much of what is going on in the region is a direct consequence of political and commercial decisions in combination with economic incentives on the local

Cleantech Östergötland is the unifying force that will ensure that the region is promoted both nationally and internation-ally. “Our mission is to increase visibility and support the envi-ronmental technology compa-nies in increased, more effective collaboration and in that way expand business opportunities”, says Gert Kindgren, chairman of Cleantech Östergötland.

fast faCtsclEANtEch östErGötlAND

•the joint stock company Miljöteknikcentrum i Östergötland ab [envi­ronmental technology Centre in Östergötland] was formed with the pri­mary mission of gather­ing, supporting, promot­ing and coordinating the environmental sector in Östergötland through a non-profitorganisation— Cleantech Östergöt­land.

•the company is owned 40% each by the munici­palities of linköping and norrköping, plus 20% by linköping university.

•Cleantech Östergötland currently has over 80 partners and companies as members.

GErT KINdGrEN, chAIrmAN Of clEANTEch ÖSTErGÖTlANd

and national level. It is the entirety that visitors want to see, there are many fac-tors that are behind the system we can show today.”

Powerful InvestmentsIn order for an eco-industrial system to develop, a number of factors are required. Much of it depends on commercial driving forces, according to Gert Kindgren.

“In this area several powerful invest-ments have been made this year alone. E.ON is now investing SEK 1.5 billion in its district heating plant at Händelö out-side Norrköping. Lantmännen Agroetanol has invested SEK 1.3 billion in its etha-nol factory, and Svensk Biogas is expand-ing capacity for about SEK 140 million, which is almost double their investment to date,” he says.

In the Twin Cit-ies of Sweden there are about 500 envi-ronmental technol-ogy companies with combined sales of around SEK 10 bil-lion. They account for approximately 10% of Sweden’s total environmental technology exports.

“Sales of biogas for vehicles have increased by 40% since last year. In Linköping 7% of all vehicle fuel is biogas,” says Gert Kindgren.

Network most importantCleantech Östergötland also has the mis-sion of supporting environmental technol-ogy companies in increased, more effective collaboration. The association currently has over 80 members.

“Building up successful networks is what our members emphasize the most. Together we can open new, larger business-related opportunities for export and devel-opment of environmental technology,” says Gert Kindgren.

He goes on to say, “We are in an excit-ing region. Companies get established and find new synergies, other companies start to collaborate and the system makes itself stronger and stronger. In addition a collab-oration between public actors, the business community and the university has been going on for a long time and resulted in several successful projects in the triple helix model. There is enormous potential in the area and there is still a lot left to take hold of. The work has only begun.”

Gert Kindgren, MBACHAIRMAN

+46 705 66 56 55gert@cleantechostergotland.seGjuterigatan 1, SE–582 73,

Linköping, Sweden

8 CleanteCh Magazine 9CleanteCh Magazine

a good purpose

Motivating force:

fast faCtsAGErAtEc

founded: in 1996 by gert and david frykerås. the basic idea was to create a completely automated machine that can process many different types of raw materials, and be operated by someone who is not a chemist.business concept: to manufacture and deliver complete solutions for production of biodiesel with a capacity of 2,000 to 340,000 litres per day. it should be possible to deliver equipment from processing of the raw ma­terialallthewaytofinishedbiodiesel.customers: examples include farmers, recycling companies, oil companies andvarioustypesoffinan­ciers who want to produce biodiesel.Every step in the process: is carefully optimized to re­duce the use of energy and effect on the environment. this guarantees not only effective solutions, but also an environmentally sound production process.largest markets for bi-odiesel processors: swe­den, poland and australia.Operations: in norrköping.Number of employees: 35.Awards and recognition: Company of the Year in norrköping 2007, norr­köping’s “rookie Company” 2007, named by Östgöta enskilda bank.

Inventor and businessman. Ageratec’s founder David Frykerås has developed a process that transforms fat into biodiesel.

A red-painted office building in Norr-köping is the home of Ageratec, a company which, thanks to its much-discussed bio-diesel processes, receives up to 2,000 visi-tors every year. Delegations from all over the world take the plane to Östergötland to see with their own eyes how these machines function in operation.

The machines produce biodiesel, which can then be used as fuel in cars and farm machinery or sold.

“Producing biodiesel requires some form of fatty raw material,” says David Frykerås.

“In Sweden this mainly means rapeseed oil. But there are many alternatives, such as used frying oil and slaughterhouse waste.”

Since 1996 David Frykerås has fought hard to develop and market his product. Ini-tially it was supposed to be so “intelligent” that it could work for a naymen – automatic and user-friendly. Only after seven years was the product ready for commercial use.

The company grew quickly and is now housed in a 100-square-metre office with space for building machines, a testing room, laboratory and welding room.

Since the first machine was produced an additional 68 machines have been manufactured in the offices in Norr-köping and sent to 18 different countries. From 2003 to 2007 sales soared from 0 to SEK 50 million.

Supports 200 PeopleIn Europe a machine may support one per-son. This is compared to Rwanda, where 200 families get by on one machine.

“Sweden is a really small part of the world, and there is nothing that says that

our way of thinking is the best. Rwanda might just as well know better,” David Frykerås observes.

Despite the fact that Ageratec got an initial boost, in principle all money goes right back into the company to manage continued expansion. The product has to be continually developed further. The motivating force for David Frykerås is the knowledge that the machines con-tribute to something good. His com-mitment has not lessened over the years. David Frykerås is still passionate about his product and travels all over the world to sell it. Last year he accounted for 100 travel days – and 16 hours of vacation. This is not sustainable – he admits that – but he’s not ready to quit before he achieves his dream.

“We will become so large that we can continue to be at the leading edge and develop our product,” David Frykerås concludes.

dAvId fryKEråS,fOuNdEr Of AGErATEc.

Since the first machine was produced an additional 68 machines have been

manufactured in the offices in Norr köping and sent to 18

different countries

10 CleanteCh Magazine 11CleanteCh Magazine

19730

300

600

900

MSEK

1985 1998 2010

fast faCtsEcoNovA

founded: in 1959 by bengt and Kerstin andersson with a view to build forest vehicle tracks for the forest industry with hired machinery. business concept: to make use of by­products and waste products from industry and society at large using a closed eco­cycle and with utmost con­sideration for the environment. vision: to be an internation­ally successful environmental technology company. Environmental benefits: econova uses environmentally­friendly and price­conscious methods in harmony with nature in order to take care of by­products and waste prod­ucts from saw mills, the paper and pulp industry, sewage and treatment works, industry and society at large. these prod­ucts are recycled by econova to create biofuel, soil fertilizer andlandfillcovermaterial.Asa part of the local eco­cycle, themarketisconfinedtotheimmediate surroundings to reduce transportation. location:Headofficeislocat­ed in Åby, outside norrköping (the core operations consist of the company’s numerous recycling plants which are strategically located close to the customers. econova is also established in norway, finland, denmark and estonia.

Legislation as a

Econova’s eco-cycle thinking permeates everything they do. Today, Econova is a successful environmental company which creates both socio-economic and environmental benefits.”An entrepreneurial spirit and legislation have been important driving forces for our success,” says Håkan Larsson, managing director at Econova.

Econova is an international company with the Nordic countries as its domestic mar-ket. Econova has two business areas consist-ing of Econova Energy which operates in the field of biofuel and landfill operations and Econova Garden which is Scandina-via’s leading supplier of garden products and which also produces environmentally-friendly soil products.

“Our two business areas are partly

seasonal and overlap each other. Energy’s customers are large combined heat and power producers and municipalities whilst Garden reaches its end-consumers via cus-tomers of DIY, grocery and garden retail trade,” says Econova’s managing director Håkan Larsson.

Econova’s waste recycling plant Häradsudden, outside Norrköping is a good example of the part Econova con-tributes to sustainability. Material which is conventionally seen as unusable waste is transformed using an eco-cycle into new raw materials. The powerful greenhouse landfill-gases are collected for electricity production with the help of three micro-turbines. The three turbines generate a combined total of 2.5 million kWh of elec-tricity and 4 million kWh of heating per year. This can be on a par with providing domestic electricity for 500 detached hous-es and district heating for 200 per year.

The environment pays offThe foundation of industrial ecology is to turn environmental problems into business opportunities, to have a system approach, to utilise resources effectively and to co-operate through the division of resources. Econova is industrial ecology at work. Discovering possibilities where others have seen problems is the key to the company’s success. Since the company’s beginnings 50 years ago, Econova’s business idea and success factor has been to take care of the by-products from saw mills, paper and pulp industry and sewage treatment works. The materials has been recycled and trans-formed into biofuel, soil fertilizer and land-fill cover material.

“We know that the environment pays off,” says Håkan Larsson.

A turnover of almost a billion kronor a year proves the thesis. Håkan Larsson thinks that it is the politicians who have

forced the pace regarding the development of recycling for example, thanks to Swedish legislation. It is a fact that Econova’s suc-cesses from 2000 can be largely linked to Swedish environmental legislation.

legislation as a driving forceEconova’s methods work all over the world and using legislation as a driving force is possible in all countries.

“This demands, nevertheless, political environmental-reasoning in the long-term and some political courage in order to im-pose taxes and manage regulations, as for instance, in the depositing of waste. Of course there are many other factors which play an important role, such as a well-func-tioning infrastructure which provides the possibility to collect and incinerate waste. Sweden has a lot of knowledge to contrib-ute in this area.”

“Legislation and alternative costing via

taxes is the most important driving force to change behaviour. Had it been permit-ted to deposit waste without charge or de-posit organic waste for example, then most probably industries, municipalities and the general public would do it and the envi-ronmental benefits would be lost.” Håkan Larsson adds that it is crucial that decision-makers talk about goals to be reached rath-er than the methods needed to reach them.

“It is important not to close the door in the face of innovation. The perspective on waste today counteracts the potential these raw materials have and regulations need to be reviewed so that we can better utilise the planets resources,” says Håkan Larsson.

2009EU directive on landfills

2005Ban on landfill of

organic waste2003

Landfill tax 435 SEK/ton2002

Electricity certificate – green electricity

2002Landfill tax 375 SEK/ton

2000Ban of landfill of incinerable waste

2000Landfill tax 250 SEK/ton

driving forCe

jEANETTE TrETTEN, mArKETING dIrEcTOr, ANd håKAN lArSSON,

mANAGING dIrEcTOr AT EcONOvA.

Graph showinG Econova’s turnovEr in rElation to swEdish EnvironmEntal lEGislation.

12 CleanteCh Magazine 13CleanteCh Magazine

fast faCtsMPDU

MPDU GoAls

Purpose: to strengthen companies’profitabilityandcompetitiveness, increase expertise and understand­ing of the growing environ­mental requirements from markets and legislators on products and services. an additional purpose is to bring together companies with similar interests: to form a group of companies that will form the basis for a lively, professional network with a common interest in environmentally­driven product development.Inspiration: has come from a previous, successfully im­plemented project: simple (successful implementa­tion of eco­design in small and Medium­sized Compa­nies) that was conducted during 2006 and 2007. the project was based on carrying out various types of eco­design projects at small companies in the re­gion,financedinhalfwithintoWer, which in turn is financedwithinEUInterregiiiC. there too the method­ology consisted of creating networks for exchange of experiences and develop­ment, plus support of spe­cificdevelopmentprojects.

Goals: 1. Conduct product devel­opment projects in 25 small companies in the region.2. 70% of the projects should have reached a commercial market within three years.3. Create lasting networks of companies with an inter­est in environmentally­driv­en product development in the region.4. describe good examples of marketing of environ­mentally­driven product development and its eco­nomic and business­related significanceforthecompa­nies’ future development.5. further develop meth­ods/processes for sup­porting and stimulating environmentally­driven product development in small companies.6. 20% of the participating companies should be led by women or have a woman as manager of the company’s product development.7. 10% of participating companies should be led by an individual with for­eign background or have an individual with foreign background as manager of the company’s product development.

The MDPU project has many different purposes. It will help strengthen profit-ability and competitiveness plus increase expertise and understanding for lawmakers and the market’s growing environmental requirements on products or services. It should also ensure that the companies in-volved gain a strong, professional network with a common interest in environmental-ly-driven product development.

“We want to help individual smaller companies working on products that have some type of environmental benefit or are meant to reduce environmental impact,” says Olof Hjelm, who is responsible for the supply of environmental knowledge in the project, while he also does research on the project’s methods with the purpose of investigating how environmentally-driven company development can be stimulated.

The method is based on two successful

projects that were conducted in Östergöt-land, Fördel MPU [Advantage MPU] and Simple, both of which resulted in new products reaching the market and increased profitability for the companies.

“We build networks by dividing com-panies up into three groups of about ten small companies in each from widely sepa-rated industries. Two groups have compa-nies that work with physical products, one consists of service companies,” Olof Hjelm explains.

The companies get access to expertise and other networks, while they also get the opportunity to be scrutinized in several dif-ferent contexts.

“We give them knowledge about en-vironmentally-driven product and service development. We create seminars based on the participants’ needs and we give them help in analyzing the product by means of

external resources. But the absolute, most important success factor according to our participating companies is the network ac-tivities. Support from the EU means that we can develop those aspects,” says Olof Hjelm.

Network - the greatest benefitIn principle the MDPU project is aimed at all industries. For the time being the groups consist of environmental and crea-tivity consultants, manufacturing compa-nies and companies trying to introduce new environmental technology on the market. Our starting point is always the needs of the respective companies.

For the most part this is about the Triple Helix in its proper element, i.e. collaboration between research, policy-makers and the business community in one or more specific areas. In the MDPU

project Linköping University, the Coun-ty Administrative Board Östergötland, Almi Företagspartner AB and Cleantech Östergötland [Miljöteknikcentrum] are collaborating with one another.

Several of the companies that are cur-rently successful cleantech companies have their origins in MDU or in previous projects.

One of the participating companies is Rydell & Lembke Kyl- och Värmeteknik [Cooling and Heating Technology] AB. Within the project they have developed a combined refrigeration machine and heat pump, which thanks to the combination has several different areas of application. The method is based on Freon encapsu-lated in small, sealed systems.

“The percentage of Freon is so small that it doesn’t need to be reported for com-panies that buy it, besides reducing the

produCt developMent

Successful venture in environmentally-driven

In the region there are about 500 companies with some form of environmental orientation. Twenty-seven of these are in-volved in the MDPU project (“Environmentally-Driven Prod-uct Development”). The purpose is to strengthen these com-panies by means of knowledge, support and active networks.“The goal is that 70% of the products will have reached a commercial market within three years,” says Olof Hjelm, as-sistant professor at the Department of Industrial Environ-

mental Technology at Linköping University.

energy to run it, it still gives the same or increased effect,” says Peter Lembke, man-ager of production and sales.

The company already had the prod-uct going when they entered the MDPU project, but the project helped them get it ready sooner.

“In addition the project has meant strong marketing channels for us, even ‘worldwide’,” Peter Lembke notes.

The greatest benefit, according to him, is the enormous network to which they now have access.

“We’ve made direct contact with eve-rything from other companies to govern-ment officials to whom we’ve been able to introduce our product. And this also ap-plies internationally. The Swedish Export Council has started to visit us with inter-national delegations that want to find out about our product.”

OlOf hjElm, ASSISTANT PrO-fESSOr AT ThE dEPArTmENT

Of INduSTrIAl ENvIrON-mENTAl TEchNOlOGy AT

lINKÖPING uNIvErSITy.

14 CleanteCh Magazine 15

fast faCtsE.oN

fast faCtssvENsk bIoGAs Ab

fast faCtslANtMäNNEN ENErGI

founded: in 2000, after merg­er between industrial compa­nies veba and viag. e.on. sydkraft became e.on sverige on 16 september 2005.Main office: in düsseldorf, germany.Number of employees: 90,000 of which 6,000 are in sweden.corporate group: the world’s largest private energy com­pany, with establishments in europe, usa and russia. the company is listed on the frankfurt stock exchange.händelö combined heat and Power Plant: one of Sweden’slargestbiofuel-firedcombined heat and power plants. has produced electric­ity and heat since the 1980s. the händelö plant supplies e.on’s customers in nor­rköping with environmen­tally sound district heating through a connected network of about 350 kilometres.

founded: in 1996, as linköping biogas ab, by te­kniska verken in linköping, swedish Meats and lrf. in 2003 svensk biogas i linköping ab was formed.production facilities: in linköping, norrköping and Katrineholm.Number of employees: 20.business concept: through committed and knowledge­able personnel and with a re­gional base, offer vehicle fuel with the best environmental performance with good ac­cessibility and quality and offer in­demand bio­manure.mission: advance market development of biogas for vehicles. this means through a regional market in sweden establishing public fuelling stations, as well as offering internationally marketable process development for bi­ogas with incoming raw ma­terials in the form of waste and vegetable matter.

founded: lantmännen, which is one of the nordic region’s largest groups in grocery, energy and agricul­ture. the corporate group, owned by about 40,000 farmers, is active in over 20 countries with sales of seK 42.9 billion. the group is aboutfiveyearsoldandisbased on a number of agri­cultural associations.Is: one of sweden’s leading energy companies and has a key role in the transforma­tion to renewable energy.Number of employees: about 360 employees within lan­tmännen energi. a total of 12,000 employees in the group.business concept: products and services should be de­veloped with concern about people, the environment and machinery.mission: to contribute to profitabilityforthemembers’farms and maximize returns on their capital in the association.Operations: ethanol, biodie­sel, district heating, heat­ing pellets, salix, lubricants, alkylate gasoline, and gas and credit cards are the pri­mary businesses.brands: apen (develops, markets and sells alkylate gasoline, primarily used in small engines in lawnmow­ers, chain saws, scooters and boats) and agrol (environ­mentally adapted lubricant which is the market leader in swedish agriculture).

World’s Most effiCient energY CoMplexOne of the world’s most efficient energy complexes is at Hän-delö in Norrköping. Lantmännen Agroetanol, Svensk Biogas and E.ON have created a complex that produces climate-friendly ethanol with efficient technology, making use of grain ethanol’s pro-tein-rich by-products. “Through collaboration the energy complex is achieving a higher exchange of energy and greater climate benefit than what each operation could achieve on its own,” says Henrik Johansson, regional direc-tor at E.ON Värme Sverige.

The energy complex at Händelö in Norr-köping is a good example of the munici-pality of Norrköping’s investment in “the sustainable state.” Here is a cluster of envi-ronmental technology companies that have found synergy effects where by-products from one process become raw material for another. The complex has developed based on commercial conditions.

“The complex has not been affected by any company, organisation, govern-

ment or subsidy. It is grown on its own by means of business opportunities that have been successively realized,” says Henrik Johansson, E.ON.

“Research into complexes shows that openness and communication between companies is the most decisive factor in bringing them about. It works that way here too. We sit down together and have discussions and make decisions about business opportunities, without stepping into each other’s areas,” Henrik Johans-son explains.

combined heat and power plant is the hubE.ON’s combined heat and power plant functions as a hub for the complex. The combined heat and power plant is one of Sweden’s largest biofuel-fired heat and power plants, and makes use of renewable biofuels and waste to produce electricity, district heating and process steam. The electricity that is produced replaces elec-tricity produced at coal-fired power plants, which means that the investment reduces carbon dioxide emissions globally.

The process steam is sent on to neigh-

bouring Lantmännen Agroetanol. There, fuel ethanol is produced from high-starch grain, which is then used for low-mixture (5%) of 95-octane gasoline. The ethanol plant is one of the most modern and climate-efficient in the world. The environmental performance is excellent besides. The majority of the grain raw material can be put to use. Five times more energy emerges – ethanol, protein fod-der, biogas and district heating – than is put into the production chain.

“The ethanol is world-class. We can document major reductions of greenhouse gases, thanks to the fact that we’re using process steam from E.ON’s combined heat and power plant,” says Erik Herland, busi-ness policy director at Lantmännen. The establishment of the ethanol plant is based on good logistical advantages.

“E.ON’s combined heat and power plant combined with the proximity of the harbour was decisive for us,” explains Erik Herland.

The waste heat, in this case hot water, can go back to the Händelö plant and on to Norrköping residents as district heat-ing. The Händelö plant also takes in waste from Norrköping residents, which is also

supplied as district heating through a con-nected network of about 350 kilometres.

residual products become biogas and bio-manureAgroetanol’s residual products — grain remnants and draff water — get new life as raw materials. The grain remnants are rich in protein and become raw material for fod-der, thereby reducing Sweden’s need for im-ported soy meal from Brazil and elsewhere.

Svensk Biogas, a subsidiary of Tekni-ska Verken that has also established itself at Händelö, takes care of the draff water. It is used to produce biogas for vehicles to sup-

ply the local biogas market in Norrköping. In addition bio-manure meeting special re-quirements is produced which returns nutri-ents to local agriculture – which in turn pro-duces more grain. The Svensk Biogas facility is the first greengas facility in Sweden and is a part of the climate investment programme of Norrköping (KLIMP) 2004-2008.

Applicable at several locationsVarious companies collaborate within a com-plex in an open, business-related way and function as eco-cycle engines in the region.

“A complex can be developed based on commercial conditions, assuming that the companies let their business models be linked together within the industrial processes.”

An efficient energy complex also at-tracts more innovative companies, which in turn means a more expert workforce, which drives development for everyone in the cluster,” says Henrik Johansson, re-gional head of E.ON Värme Sverige.

“The cluster can certainly be applied in a number of other places in the world, where several of the companies at Händelö can be advisory, production and operational part-ners in new facilities,” says Henrik Johansson.

16 CleanteCh Magazine 17CleanteCh Magazine

GRAIN

STEAM

BIOGAS

PLANTS

MANURE

DR

AF

F

HE

AT

WA

ST

E

ELE

CTR

ICIT

Y

BIOGAS CNG

ETH

AN

OL

FODDER

1. When households in norrköping have sorted their household waste, biogas­driven waste collection vehi­cles come and collect the waste for e.on’s facility on händelö. norrköping gets electricity and heat from the steam produced through incineration.

Biogas has more advantages than reducing demands on our climate. Using a locally produced fuel such as biogas reduces dependence on oil, and employment in Sweden increases. The use of biogas is increas-ing every year. Private individuals as well as public agencies, municipalities and companies are seeing the advantages and using biogas-fuelled vehicles. In 2008, 13 times more biogas was sold in Norrköping compared with four years previously.

BIOGAS IN BRIEF THE ENERGY COMPLEX AT HÄNDELÖThe energy complex is part of a greater eco-industrial cluster in the region, which collaborates to minimize resource use and environmental effects. The cluster consists of several parts, with the energy complex as the motor. Other clusters include recycling (PET and aluminium cans, rubber tyres, paper), clusters of paper factories for recycled paper, and a recycling industry that makes fuel and soil improvement from the factory’s residue. The companies involved have turned environmental problems into business opportunities, as they have opened system boundaries to find opportunities for business-driven resource sharing.

5. svensk biogas uses by­products from the ethanol fac­tory and agricultural crops for biogas production. the raw materials are mixed and pumped into the composting chamber, where the organic material breaks down, form­ingbiogasandbio-manure.Thebiogasisrefinedintogasfor vehicles and the bio­manure is reused in agriculture.

3. lantmännen agroetanol has a contract with e.on’s händelö plant for the sup­ply of energy (steam) based on biofuel. the steam is required for the production of ethanol. the new fac­tory, opened in the spring of 2009, produces about 200,000 cubic metres of ethanol per year.

LANTMÄNNENAGROETANOL

SvENSkBIOGAS

E.ON

4. a grain mixture of wheat, rye and barley is used as raw material in ethanol production. this is trans­ported from the growers to the ethanol factory by lorry and emptied into a reception cavity. the grain is then transported by conveyer for cleaning and intermediate storage.

6. green public transporta­tion. Most buses operating in the city of norrköping are fuelled by biogas. the trams are also operated on renew­able fuel, because they run on green electricity. even the waste collection vehicles run on biogas. they collect the household waste that is driven to e.on’s facility on händelö, etc. see square one; the circle is closed.

2. e.on’s district heating plant is the energy motor and in the facility the household waste is pulverized before incineration. during incineration water is heated and turns to steam, with high pressure. the steam is conduct­ed through a turbine that generates electricity, which is distributed on the electricity network. after the turbine a portion of the steam, now at lower pressure, is conducted to lantmän­nen agroetanol to provide energy for their plant.

the energY CoMplexat Händelö

18 CleanteCh Magazine 19CleanteCh Magazine

Winner of the Svenska Kraftnät Environmental Prize, then Company of

the Year in Östergötland. Servicestaden is finding success with its ultraclean water.

And the journey has only just begun.

magic

Discovering something that no one thought was possible is a fantasy for just about eve-ryone, but a reality for Petra Hammarstedt.

Let’s first rewind back to 1998. The company where Petra was then employed was involved in graffiti removal, and Petra and her husband ran the company’s opera-tion in Linköping. Then they encountered deionised water and saw its potential.

“We discovered that the oxidization disappeared when the water was left on sheet metal for a long enough time. We thought about whether this could be devel-oped. We aren’t chemists, but we started experimenting with various filters. Before that, distilled water was the zero point; we wanted to make it even purer...”

They succeeded. Suddenly they had

produced water that was 20 times purer than distilled water. This ultraclean water also had qualities that meant that it could dissolve oil and oxidise on sheet metal without using heat, high-pressure wash or chemicals.

Progress was a fact.In 2002 Petra and her husband found-

ed Servicestaden AB.“We realized that this was a business

opportunity. Environmental issues were becoming more and more important, so we tested our wings,” Petra says.

In the beginning this innovation was met with scepticism, above all from chemists.

It wasn’t until Bo Svensson, researcher at Linköping University, developed a theo-retical explanation for why the process worked that the doubters were silenced.

Several Areas of ApplicationThe rings on the water spread. For one thing, the energy company Fortum in Värmland had heard about Servicestaden. Underneath the control rooms at their power plants was concrete with cavities that could take in oil if anything went wrong. Together with Fortum, Qlean Construc-tion was developed.

“We could both clean and seal the con-

fast faCtssErvIcEstADEN

founded: 2002business concept: sale of services and products for commercial property com­panies, property managers, energy companies and in­dustries related to environ­mentally sound cleaning based on ultraclean water.Works specifically with: chemical­free cleaning of exteriors, exterior washing, control rooms, tunnels and industries.Active: all over sweden, with a base in linköping.Operations: in addition to product development, includes two primary areas – Qlean surface and Qlean Construction. the Qlean method was developed to become the most gentle, environmentally sound and economic cleaning solution on the market.Awards: Company of the Year in Östergötland 2009, Company of the Year in linköping 2009, svenska Kraftnät environmental prize 2009.vision: that Qlean surface shall be one of the alterna­tives for cleaning of old building exteriors in all of europe, as this method – according to servicestaden – is optimal with regard to both gentleness and envi­ronmental soundness.

crete cavities under the transformers at the control rooms so that oil didn’t leak out,” Petra explains.

Today Servicestaden’s knowledge base is continually strengthened by means of research from Linköping University. A suc-cessful application created together with re-searcher Erik Sundin meant that Mistra and SSF (Foundation for Strategic Research) contributed SEK 3.2 million to a ProEnviro project (as support to develop the method for application in machinery part washing in the manufacturing industry).

“The researchers’ task is to understand how great the environmental benefits can be, how ultraclean water can be used in various processes. The use of researchers is a good way to get impartial input. They do research and want to obtain results, regard-less of whether this benefits us or not.”

Flextronics has also discovered ultra-clean water in the cleaning of circuit boards and yet another market has opened up.

“There is an enormous potential around ultraclean water,” Petra Ham-marstedt thinks.

The woman who discovered something that no one thought was possible.

And the doubters have now fallen si-lent for good.

PETrA hAmmArSTEdT,SuccESSful ENTrEPrENEur.

20 CleanteCh Magazine 21CleanteCh Magazine

fast faCts tEkNIskA vErkEN

fast faCts swEDIsh bIoGAs INtErNAtIoNAl Ab

historY thE bIoGAs ProjEct IN lINköPING

Number of employees: 984.Production: electricity and dis­trict heating in linköping and Katrineholm. district heating in borensberg, skärblacka, Åtvi­daberg and Kisa. electricity in 38 water­power stations in the twin Cities of sweden, söder­manland and north småland. district cooling in linköping. Water production in linköping. biogas production in linköping and norrköping.Subsidiaries: svensk biogas ab, stadspartner ab, utsikt nät ab, bixia ab and usitall ab.Agreement: tekniska verken and linköping university have a ten­year agreement, worth seK 30 million. 50% is to cover a professorship in industrial ecology, 50% to cover costs of research projects, adminis­tered by the industrial ecology research council.

founded: in 2006 with the purpose of exporting the ex­tensive process knowledge that has been developed in linköping on a national and international market.Operations:Withanofficeinlinköping.Number of employees: 20.business concept: to own, operate and streamline bi­ogas installations for a broad variety of substrates.Goal: to maintain and deepen the expertise in linköping while new installations for bi­ogas are being set up around the world. in addition the company shall contribute to a sustainable society, both eco­logically and economically.

in 1992 a pilot project started in linköping where converted biogas busses were put into service.in 1995 the Municipality of linköping decided to invest in biogas. linköping biogas ab was started in collaboration with companies from several industries: tekniska verken (municipally­owned energy company) and scan (grocery company and pack­ing plant).in 1996 production began on a farm outside linköping. through extensive development work and close cooperation with the univer­sity and government authorities, production quickly increased.In1999Linköping’sbiogasfleetwas the largest in the world.in 2003/2004 linköping biogas ab was re­formed into svensk bi­ogas ab, a wholly­owned subsidi­ary of tekniska verken.in 2006 svensk biogas inau­gurated its facility at händelö outside norrköping, which instead of packing plant waste, focuses on vegetable raw materials.Currently there are about 1,000 biogas­fuelled vehicles and one biogas­fuelled train in the region.vehicle gas is produced in both linköping and norrköping.in a short time biogas has become an important alternative to diesel and petrol in the entire region.the unique expertise that exists within the biogas area has also meant that several companies have been formed with a focus on the export market. scandinavian biogas ab is an expansive compa­ny with a focus on the international market. the company has its ori­gins in the collaboration between linköping university and tekniska verken. the ulsan sewage treat­ment plant in south Korea is one of the facilities that has signed a contract with the company.

Leo Baas has previously done research on “Eco-Industrial Parks in the Netherlands, the Rotterdam Harbour and Industry Complex” and its symbioses and synergies. That expertise is incredibly important to Tekniska Verken.

“We have developed a research pro-gramme together with Tekniska Verken, divided into three parts: Industrial Ecology – Regional Industrial Symbiosis, Renewal Resources in Industrial Symbiosis, Indus-trial Symbiosis in Large Technical Systems. This is a special assignment. I have previ-ously worked with companies, but always in larger contexts. This is a direct approach from two different organisations that cre-ate synergies together,” says Leo Baas, who is surprised by how much is happening in the region.

“Östergötland was a surprise for me. I was informed about what was happening in the region. But I did not know that there was so much going on here. Östergötland is not that well known internationally – yet.”

research at an international top levelLeo Baas is now at the Department of In-dustrial Environmental Technology, at the Institution for Economic and Industrial Development at Linköping University. The department is internationally recog-nized and focuses on turning environmen-tal challenges into opportunities.

Mats Eklund, professor in Industrial Environmental Technology at Linköping University, thinks that the joint investment in a professorship makes it possible to elevate the research to an international top level.

“The direction of the professorship on industrial ecology is about developing indus-try’s environmental performance through smart system solutions, and industrial appli-cations suit both Linköping University and Tekniska Verken particularly well.”

Stefan Jakobsson, head of business de-velopment at Tekniska Verken, sees major benefits in the investment.

“Half of the money goes to doctoral candidates, thesis projects and various re-search projects. In this way we’re also mar-keting ourselves to students and building up a network to attract qualified employ-ees. The rest of the money goes to finance Leo Baas.”

“He is leading us into industrial ecol-ogy. For us it is tremendously valuable to be able to combine our practical work

with Leo Baas’s knowledge,” Stefan Ja-kobsson continues.

Interesting investmentin biogasLinköping was one of the first municipali-ties in the country to invest in biogas. Te-kniska Verken started its biogas project in the mid-1990s, with strong support from the municipality of Linköping, which also made sure to create business opportunities within this area.

“The biogas application is rather unique. It’s a nice concept. In the Netherlands you are captured in fossil fuel because of govern-ment decisions about the natural gas system.”

How much political decisions affect development of biogas is one of the areas touched on by Leo Baas’s research.

“That’s the interesting part. It’s a part of my research during my stay here.”

Waste heat for greenhousesAnother partial project is to investigate the

possibilities of using waste heat and carbon dioxide to heat greenhouses.

“In Rotterdam we have a lot of cases where we turn waste energy into heating systems for greenhouses. It started with a company that needed something that the other company was wasting, and the ques-tion was — was it possible to close the system? An idea developed, and soon the greenhouses were reality. In Rotterdam they are filled with king-sized shrimps,” says Leo Baas.

“In Linköping this may be about a sim-ilar concept, or possibly traditional vegeta-ble production. We are looking at various alternatives.” Stefan Jakobsson adds.

“We have sufficient waste heat and car-bon dioxide needed to find an interesting system solution for this.”

“It’s exciting to combine our concrete thinking with Leo Baas’s research on enor-mous greenhouses,” says Stefan Jakobsson.

“This is a perfect example of knowledge exchange,” Leo Baas concludes.

Baas evolves

Leo Baas is an expert on indus-trial ecology. In May he started working as a professor in Indus-trial Environmental Technology at Linköping University, a position fi-nanced by the company Tekniska Verken in Linköping. “It’s impor-tant to become acquainted with the university’s research in these areas,” says Stefan Jakobsson, head of business development at Tekniska Verken.

lEfT: STEfAN jAKObSSON, hEAd Of buSINESS dEvElOP-

mENT AT TEKNISKA vErKEN.rIGhT: lEO bAAS, ExPErT ON INduSTrIAl ENvIrONmENTAl

TEchNOlOGy AT lINKÖPING uNIvErSITy.

22 CleanteCh Magazine

In 2008 the County Administrative Board of Östergötland presented a study. This study showed that there was great potential for agriculture in the Twin Cities of Swe-den as far as manure that could be exploit-ed for production of biogas was concerned.

Swedish Biogas International (SBI) was given the task of investigating the possibili-ties of producing biogas on large dairy farms: Hulterstad and Bleckenstad. The project was given the name “The Biogas Ring.”

“Our mission was to look at the pre-requisites for combining the farms. We investigated the quantity of manure and the possibility of building up a gas network that connected the farms with Mjölby,” SBI’s CEO Peter Undén relates.

“Producing biogas from the farms’ manure and other residual products is eco-nomically interesting and an important ef-fort for the climate and the environment,” Peter Undén thinks.

The facility will be able to produce 600,000 cubic metres of biogas per year. That’s enough to run 500 cars all year round.

“Going directly from the farm to an upgrade facility and on to a gas station without transport or intermediaries is unique. Soon we’ll have a gas station where Mjölby residents can fill up their vehicles from locally produced biogas” says Jonny Cammerfjord, marketing manager at Mjöl-

by Svartådalen Energi (MSE), a local en-ergy company that produces district heat-ing for private customers and companies in Mjölby and surrounding towns.

The district heating produced from biofuel and electrical energy for the lo-cal market is supplemented, for the most part with energy from water power sta-tions. Taking the step towards producing vehicle gas was a decision by the Board of Directors that was completely in line with the goal of MSE. Their vision is to create a long-term sustainable energy supply and provide infrastructure that creates condi-tions for growth.

“Initially the farmers were interested in producing power for their farms, but soon realized that there was a great environmen-tal benefit in vehicle gas and more money to earn,” says Jonny Cammerfjord.

New market for AgricultureBleckenstad Farm outside Mjölby is one of the two farms where vehicle gas will be produced from methane gas. The farm operates organic and certified milk produc-tion and is run by three brothers. Gunnar Johansson is one of them.

“We’ve been looking at new solutions for several years. Producing biogas is an ex-cellent way for us farmers to reach a new market. Manure contains plant residues that can become climate-smart energy. The

great thing is that the important plant nu-trients still remain, which we can then use in crop cultivation.”

In one small, geographically limited area, all the parts needed to produce vehicle gas can be found.

“Here are cows, the gas station and the end users. We’re eager to contribute our part for a better environment,” says Gun-nar Johansson.

He concludes: “The plan is to have the project ready in the autumn of 2010.”

Footnote: The definition of “biogas ring”: a project where agribusiness, municipality, uni-versity, energy company and region jointly in-vestigate the possibilities of expanded produc-tion and distribution of biogas – primarily from manure.

Hulterstad and Bleckenstad outside Mjölby are two large dairy farms, which together with Mjölby-Svartådalen Energi AB (MSE) have formed a company to start the production of biogas. “Mjöl-by residents can soon fill up with gas from their local farmers,” says Jonny Cammerfjord, marketing manager at MSE.

From cow to

Car

THE QUOTE

CoMissionthe climate

The municipality of Norrköping has in-vited larger companies in the municipality to produce a common energy plan. The idea is that the companies will function as a reference group and be further integrated into the energy process. One of the partici-pating companies is Holmen, the Braviken paper mill.

“It’s a good thing that the municipal-ity is getting involved. Everyone needs to help in these issues,” says Rikard Wallin, mill manager at Braviken Paper Mill and a participant in the Climate Commission.

Braviken is one of Holmen Paper’s three paper mills, which are on the front line of mechanical pulp production.

The new TMP (Thermo-Mechanical Pulp) line was inaugurated in December 2008. It combines spearhead technology, internationally significant research, energy savings in the millions and higher capac-ity, with the possibility of developing Bra-viken’s products.

“We have the world’s first research facility for mechanical pulp production,” says Rikard Wallin.

Three doctoral students are working for a two-year period with the purpose of making pulp production energy-efficient while at the same time the pulp will be of better quality.

“We have invested a total of half a bil-lion SEK in the project. We are increasing the quality of our products at the same time as we want to contribute to a long-term, sustainable development with reduced en-ergy use,” says Rikard Wallin.

He goes on to say, “Since April of this year oil consumption at Braviken has been reduced by 80%. That is a result of environmental thinking and profitable investments.”

“Since April of this year oil consumption at Braviken has been reduced by 80%. That is a result of environ-mental thinking and profit-

able investments.”

fArmEr GuNNAr jOhANSSON IS lOOKING fOrWArd TO

cONTrIbuTING TO A clEANEr ENvIrONmENT.

24 CleanteCh Magazine 25CleanteCh Magazine

Returpack used to send its PET bottles on to Germany for recycling. Now they send them next door on a forklift truck to Cleanaway. This means that there is now a unique, closed eco-cycle system for PET bottles at Händelö in Norrköping. “This is good, both for the economy and for the environment,” says Katarina Lundell, director of marketing at Returpack.

fast faCtsclEANAwAy

founded: in 2006.Number of employees: 32.based: at händelö in norr­köping.Odds & ends: Cleanaway is owned by the german par­ent company Cleanaway pet international, which in turn is part of the veolia group.handling: Cleanaway re­ceives about 8 tons of pet bottles daily and handles 27,000 tons of pet bot­tles annually. of this 20,000 tons come directly from returpack, while the remain­ing share is brought in from norway and finland.business concept: through efficientrecyclingofPETtobe part of an eco­cycle at its best.

Returpack in Norrköping is responsible for the Swedish bottle and can deposit system. The company has been here since 2003. Previously all handling took place on-site at the breweries.

“We wanted to have the benefits of coor-dination by having everything in one place. In logistical terms Norrköping was a good alternative, but also because the Municipality of Norrköping was so active,” says Katarina Lundell, director of marketing at Returpack.

About 20,000 tons of PET bottles are sent to Returpack every year.

“We used to send the PET bottles to Germany. Now we take the forklift truck next door and in that way avoid transporta-tion costs,” Katarina Lundell explains.

The set-up is based on an agreement between Cleanaway and Returpack.

“If the volume became large enough, we wanted to establish ourselves in connec-tion with Returpack,” explains Thomas Ot-tosson, site manager at Cleanaway.

Because Swedes are good at bottle deposits (88% of all aluminium cans and PET bottles end up at Returpack), the vol-ume soon became large enough for the in-vestment to be profitable.

In 2006 Cleanaway’s factory was ready, wall to wall with Returpack.

“It’s amazingly smooth. Returpack col-lects the bottles then we take over,” says Thomas Ottosson.

To start with, Cleanaway handled the first step in the process of the cleaning and recycling of PET bottles.

“We ground down the bottles to ‘washed flakes’. Those can be used to man-ufacture new plastic, but not for new PET bottles. This means that we have to send them on to Germany for the next process,” says Thomas Ottosson.

closed eco-cycle systemThe intent has always been to be able to carry out the process in Norrköping, some-thing that became a reality in March 2009. This means that the entire process of recy-cling of PET bottles forms a unique closed eco-cycle system out on Händelö.

About 75% of the PET material Clean-away produces can be used for production of new PET bottles. The remaining material is used for production of other plastic prod-ucts, for example fleece tops and car mats. The waste that is left over, about 11-12% of the material, becomes combustible mate-rial and is sent straight to E.ON’s Händelö boiler to be turned into district heating.

“Everything can be sold. But it’s neces-

sary for us to have a product that is both less expensive and better for the environ-ment for customers to choose to buy a recy-cled material,” says Thomas Ottosson.

Cleanaway is now venturing into the rest of the Nordic market.

“PET bottles are being bought up in both Norway and Finland. There is great potential in this product,” Thomas Ottos-son concludes.

Passion for

pet

fast faCtsrEtUrPAck

founded: in 1984, under the company name returpack burk. two years earlier the swedish government initi­ated a deposit system for aluminium cans.Number of employees: 49.business concept: Manage the swedish deposit system for aluminium cans and pet bottles, ensuring that every deposited can and bottle in time becomes a new one.deposit system: has be­come a model for other countries, considering that swedes are among the best in the world at paying de­posits.location: With a factory on händelö in norrköping, which has been here since october 2003. the factory is the largest in europe of its type. since 2005 the head officehasbeenlocatedinnorrköping.handling: returpack re­ceives about 3.6 million cans and bottles daily. annually about 1.4 billion containers are handled.

KATArINA luNdEll, dIrEcTOr Of mArKETING AT rETurPAcK.

ThOmAS OTTOSSON, SITE mANAGEr AT clEANAWAy

27CleanteCh Magazine

THE QUOTE

fast faCtssIEMENs INDUstrIAl tUrboMAchINEry

founded: in 1847 by Werner siemens and george halske. there were ten employees thefirstyear,housedinalittlefarmhouse in berlin.Number of employees: about 400,000 people, of which 2,300 are based in finspång.Head office: germany.Active in Sweden: Within the areas of industrial automa­tion, construction automation, security systems, medical technology, energy technol­ogy,traffictechnology,ITandcommunications, light sources and household appliances.Steam turbines: siemens is the market leader in steam turbines for solar power plants. about 10% of sales are invested in research and development. in sweden some of the money goes to contin­ued research on steam­driven solar turbines. siemens has produced steam turbines in finspång since 1913. at the present time siemens has sold about 40 turbines, primarily to spain, but also to algeria and egypt. the solar turbines are effective because they make use of all solar energy, from early morning to late evening. in early 2009 siemens re­ceived an order from the usa on what is going to be the world’s largest completely solar­powered steam turbine. a total of 35,000 american households can be supplied with pure solar energy from the solar power plant. the purchaser is bright source en­ergy, an american developer of solar power plants.

sieMens

taxi

sun shines on

Climate smart

Government subsidies are necessary to get the solar en-ergy market started. Siemens knows that, having delivered about 40 solar-powered steam turbines when the Spanish government introduced subsidies. “I’m surprised that more governments aren’t thinking the same way,” says Lars-Göran Sjöberg, vice president at Siemens.

What began as a single project in the USA was developed into a major international seller.

“We executed a project in the USA that concerned solar energy, because we had an appropriate type of turbine,” says Lars-Göran Sjöberg.

He was sceptical about a continuation, considering that a completed solar installa-tion costs about EUR 300 million.

“What we didn’t realize was that there are government subsidies...”

Then it “happened.” The government of Spain made the decision to introduce subsidies for wind power and solar energy.

“A number of companies saw the po-tential in our product. Because we already had a turbine that was suitable plus a refer-ence from the US project, in principle we became the ‘purveyor to the court’,” says Lars-Göran Sjöberg.

In the summer of 2008 the first solar energy turbine was put into operation in Spain, and a total of about 40 turbines have been sent to that country.

“Every solar turbine produces 50,000 kWh and supplies about 50,000 to 100,000 households, depending on weather and energy demands. In Spain this entails a reduction of 15,000 tons of carbon dioxide compared with a tradi-tional Spanish power plant.

uSA - a potential marketThe market is where the sun is. Lars-Göran Sjöberg mentions North Africa, the Middle East, India, China and the western United

States as possible markets. In Europe there is the possibility of using solar energy all the way up to Germany.”

“Government subsidies are necessary to get the market started. With the electricity prices that exist all over the world, it’s dif-ficult to get anyone to get involved in this on a commercial basis. Private investors are not jumping onto projects without government subsidies,” says Lars-Göran Sjöberg.

The next step for Siemens is the USA. Negotiations are in progress.

“Solar power has been interesting to them since the 1980s. There is a lot planned in various types of stimulus packages. Eve-rything is a question of money. The banks want a government guarantee to invest in solar turbines.”

Great future potentialThe possibilities of solar energy are enor-mous and this source of energy is inex-haustible in principle. Solar energy is free. If we have solar installations that covered approximately 300 by 300 kilometres of the surface of the Sahara, the world de-mand for energy would be met. The tech-nology for solar power plants is in the cra-dle of its development. Siemens will refine its turbines to meet the solar power plants of the future.

“We got a natural head start when we had an already functioning product when the market was new. Now we have to see to it to retain that head start,” Lars-Göran Sjöberg concludes.

Just over a year ago, Norrköping received a welcome addition to traffic in its streets – Taxi Klimatsmart - with only hybrid cars in its fleet. The minimal amount of green-house gases that are released are compen-sated for through carbon offsetting making each taxi trip carbon neutral. Tobias Bru-din and his two colleagues are behind this venture.

“We were inspired by a company in London called Green Tomato which uses hybrid electric vehicles. There weren’t any environmentally-friendly taxi options in Norrköping so we saw the business op-portunity here,” says Tobias. Taxi Klimats-mart wants to develop further by driving cars that don’t impact the environment and at the same time contribute to a better inner-city environment. For now, between 10% and 20% of taxi customers choose Taxi Klimatsmart thanks to the environ-mental aspect. Good customer service and marketing are two other reasons.

“It feels good to realise our dream of running a company as well as contributing to a cleaner planet,” adds Tobias Brudin.

”It’s nice to know we are contributing to a cleaner world”

28 CleanteCh Magazine 29CleanteCh Magazine

diaMondsBrilliant

HTC Superfloor and Twister are inven-tions that are changing habits in highly pol-ished concrete and chemical-free cleaning, and are challenging the entire floor indus-try. Now HTC Academy is training stra-tegic partners, such as flooring companies, who can market these products and show that HTC’s machines and methods are the best alternative, both for the environment and from an economic standpoint. In Swe-den alone, Twister could replace tens of millions of litres of chemicals per year.

Major commercial interests in the chemical industry are keeping a close watch on HTC.

“We have to see this as acknowledg-ment that we have a successful product. We’re a commercial threat,” says Mats Tikkanen, marketing director at HTC.

To discourage imitation, HTC has taken out over 350 patents on its products. An attorney works full-time formulating patents and pursuing copies.

“On one occasion a company was pro-moting our concept at one of the largest flooring trade shows in Amsterdam. We sent an attorney there and they had to take down almost everything they had in their booth,” Mats Tikkanen says.

Patents also require proper wording. The chemical industry takes a close look at every formulation, but at the same time it is important for HTC to express itself prop-erly so as not to restrict itself.

“If we don’t use the right wording, it may mean that we can’t develop our own product. Patents require time and money,”

says Charlotte Uhrbom, who is a quality and environmental technician.

You always want to be ahead of your customers and introduce new solutions be-fore they ask for them.

“We don’t develop with our custom-ers. We let others follow us. We can’t be controlled too much by the customers’ needs,” says Charlotte Uhrbom.

The environment is an important argumentThe first floor grinder was built in 1992. The initial goal was to build a better floor grinder than what was on the market and sell machines by the tens. Now they know that the demand has resulted in sales of 10,000 machines – so far.

With its diamond cleaning, HTC has opened up a completely new segment in the cleaning industry. Without putting wear on the floor, the machine grinds away dirt. Millions of microscopic diamonds, placed on each cleaning disc, scrub and polish the floor mechanically without chemicals. The results are so sustainable that floor polish and period maintenance are not required. With this technique, it is only necessary to replace the water.

The scrubbing discs are adapted so they can be placed on all conventional cleaning machines.

“This is the only completely envi-ronmentally sound alternative to regular, chemical-based cleaning methods,” says Charlotte Uhrbom.

In Sweden alone, Twister could re-place millions of litres of chemicals, which would otherwise be released into sewers every year.

“The environmental issue is an impor-tant argument that we are pushing hard. We are also getting this as a requirement from the construction industry,” says Charlotte Uhrbom.

HTC has started an environmen-tally sound cleaning revolution. By using the hardest material there is – diamonds – with a technique as simple as it is ingenious, all types of hard floors can be cleaned, completely without chemicals.

fast faCtshtc

founded: 1987 by håkan thysellOwned by: håkan and gunn thysell plus by an additional three partners (in a venture capital company)business concept: htC’s business concept is to de­velop, manufacture and sell professionalfloorsolutionsthat take economy, ergonom­ics and ecology into account.Number of employees: 105.location:Mainofficeinsweden (söderköping) withbranchofficesintheusa, germany, england and france.Export: 85% of htC’s products are exported. the world market is approached directly through distributors.collaboration: With linköping university in the form of various degree projects.

dEmONSTrATING ThE flOOr clEANING SySTEm.

mATS TIKKANEN, mArKETING dIrEcTOr.

chArlOTTE uhrbOm, quAlITy ANd

ENvIrONmENTAl TEchNIcIAN.

THE QUOTE

She already has several job offers, but chose to stay within the confines of the univer-sity for another two years to complete her master’s degree with a focus on sustainable development. Natasja Sondered is a future environmental scientist in the Environmen-tal Science Programme, an interdisciplinary course of study at Linköping University.

“The environment knows no bounda-ries and is constantly changing. Therefore we need knowledge from several seg-ments in order to understand complex environmental problems. Included in the programme are practical laboratory experi-ments, social science, human science issues, technology and policy, and we are learning to place them in a meaningful whole,” Na-tasja Sondered explains.

The environmental scientists are ready to meet the environmental problems of the future. Regardless of whether it is within the public or the private sector, at a lab or as an environmental consultant.

“Östergötland is on the leading edge. It’s the right region to be in,” says Natasja Sondered.

sCientist

futureenvironmental

“This region is a step ahead”

if you want to experience world class industrial ecology at work, the twin Cities of sweden is the place to visit. in both energy and transportation this region took its firststepstowardsamoreclimatefriendly society long ago.

We can arrange visits that highlight all what the region has to offer in terms of developing sustainable cities as well as en­

ergy saving technology that is crucial in reducing environmental impact.

for more information, please contact us for technical visits and meeting arrangements.

Gert Kindgren Phone +46 705 66 56 55 gert@cleantechostergotland.se www.cleantechostergotland.se

ExPErIENcE worlD clAss INDUstrIAl EcoloGy At work

32 CleanteCh Magazine

The Twin Cities of Sweden, made up of the cities of Linköping and Norrköping, have a proud tradition. A whole host of unique ideas have been born here – particularly at Linköping University, as well as the Science Parks in Mjärdevi and Norrköping. These ideas have now become a reality, creating internationally successful products and concepts. This is one reason why the twin cities are enjoy-ing such strong growth!

Linköping University (LiU), one of Sweden’s leading centres of higher education, currently has over 25,000 students in a number of prominent research areas. Interest in studying in Norrköping and Linköping has shown a marked upswing.

The Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV) is a multidisciplinary research centre initiated by Linköping University, Östergötland County Council and Sec-tra AB. It carries out research that leads the world in several medical technology areas.

One of the most successful companies in the region is Gripen International, a company owned by Sweden’s Saab and the UK’s BAE SYSTEMS. Gripen has delivered or will be delivering fighter planes to the Swedish, South African, Hun-garian, Thai and Czech air forces, among others. The fighter planes are manufactured in Linköping.

What do unique creativity, leading technology and inter -national success have in common?

www.twincities.se

campus norrköping cmiV gripen international