Helsinki Energy Challenge: Award Winners announced

The winners of the one-million-euro Helsinki Energy Challenge have been revealed

It is a well-known fact that Helsinki is one of the most sustainable and eco-friendly cities in the world. As such, it is not surprising that it launched the Helsinki Energy Challenge in 2020. This one-million-euro challenge tasked teams from all around the world with finding solutions to the following question: “How can we decarbonise the heating of Helsinki, using as little biomass as possible?”

Finalists

Initially, 252 teams from 35 countries applied to take part in the challenge. Out of these teams, only 10 made it to the finals. These 10 teams consisted of more than 100 people from 40 organisations and 12 countries. On the challenge’s website, the finalist teams are listed as follows:

1. Beyond Fossils
2. CarbonHelsinki
3. CHP Consumers to Heat Producers
4. Flexible Future
5. Going Deep
6. HIVE
7. The Hot Heart
8. Smart Salt City
9. Sustainable Heat Coalition
10. Use it or Lose it

The finalists researched and developed 10 solutions for the future of Helsinki’s urban heating. All of their solutions considered the city’s two main goals: to stop using coal by 2029 and to become carbon neutral by 2035.

4 Award Winners

On 16 March, the final event of Helsinki Energy Challenge took place. During this virtual event, the finalists discussed their solutions and the Mayor of Helsinki Jan Vapaavuori announced the 4 Award Winners.

1. HIVE: EUR 350,000
2. Beyond Fossils: EUR 200,000
3. Smart Salt City: EUR 200,000
4. The Hot Heart: EUR 200,000

In addition to the four Award Winners, the CHP Consumers to Heat Producers were also granted a Recognition Award of EUR 50,000. Vapaavuori noted that after challenging the world to find a solution to Helsinki’s heating, “the biggest winner of the challenge may be Helsinki itself.”

Furthermore, the Mayor thanked everyone who participated in the Helsinki Energy Challenge as he said, “I would like to thank all of you who submitted your ideas to Helsinki Energy Challenge. You were more than 250 and I am forever grateful to all of you. […] I would also like to thank all organisations and people who have helped us through the process, there were many of you.”