Energy efficiency

Energy efficiency is one of the most important environmental aspects for Vattenfall. Improved efficiency in power plants and distribution grids means that society’s need for energy will be met while using less resources and causing less environmental impact per generated unit of energy. Many development and investment programmes aim to increase energy efficiency.

The EU’s target is to improve the efficiency of energy use in society by 20% by 2020.

Below are some examples of energy enhancement projects taking place at Vattenfall.

Power plant efficiency

We continuously invest in modern technology, improved safety and better environmental performance in our power plants. We are also replacing old plants with new, modern and more efficient ones.

Ongoing improvements to production efficiency are being carried out at the German plants.

The new Moorburg coal-fired power plant in Hamburg will increase the energy efficiency of the German portfolio thanks to the combination of heat and power generation. This new power plant, with its comparatively low specific CO2 emissions, will contribute to pushing older, less efficient plants with higher emissions off the market.

In Poland, production has been concentrated to the largest and most efficient plants – the Siekierki and Zeran combined heat and power plants. We have put two new turbines into operation at the combined heat and power plants in order to improve generation efficiency. We have also recently begun operating the heat accumulator at the combined heat and power plant in Siekierki. The accumulator enables heat to be accumulated during the day and then be distributed throughout the evening and night. This has resulted in increased efficiency through combined production of electricity and heat, while satisfying demands for electricity during the day.

Read more about coal
Read more about nuclear power

Work is ongoing in the Nordic countries to implement updates, enhance efficiency and improve the environmental performance of hydro power and nuclear power plants. The ongoing efficiency improvements to our Swedish power plants will lead to increased generation amounting to approximately 2.5 TWh per year. We are investing heavily in our hydro power plants in Finland and Sweden to ensure long-term generation, improved environmental qualities, reduced maintenance costs and increased effect. The ongoing renovation programme within hydro power operations will result in efficiency improvements that correspond to generation from an entirely new hydro power plant, even though the same amount of water is used.

Read more about hydro

Efficient electricity distribution

Transmission and distribution grids ensure that electricity is available all the time and everywhere. Vattenfall and other large players share the market with regional and local network companies. Much effort is put into efficiently reducing distribution losses.

We invest in electricity network improvements. Older power lines are replaced with cables buried in the ground. New technology is also installed to enable better supervision of the electricity network and to help locate problems more exactly. Fewer car journeys are necessary, with reduction of CO2 emission as a result.In Poland where improvement potential is still great, investments are being made in the electricity network in order to decrease distribution losses, which improves energy efficiency and reliability.

Industrial energy efficiency

Vattenfall has worked a long time to help its corporate customers customise solutions for energy and process efficiency improvements. A number of large Nordic corporate customers, including Holmen, have commissioned Vattenfall to review their energy use and improve the efficiency of their manufacturing processes.

In the Nordic countries, Vattenfall has also established a dedicated unit for energy efficiency improvement. When signing an electricity contract in Germany, Vattenfall’s corporate customers also gain online access to a control programme that gives them an overview of their electricity consumption. One customer that has carried out such a programme under Vattenfall’s management is Citibank, with 400 branches in Germany. Other customers that are currently using the energy savings programme include Lufthansa and Commerzbank.  

In the Dutch market, Vattenfall offers its corporate and private customers energy efficiency improvement services. In Poland, in co-operation with the university in Silesia, Vattenfall offers industrial customers an energy efficiency improvement service.