A much-needed solution for the construction industry: harnessing geoenergy to bring radical reduction of carbon dioxide emissions during construction

Together with its partners Rototec, Enersys and El-Björn, Raksystems has developed new, carbon-neutral innovations that can both significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions during construction and create the optimal conditions for construction work. This optimisation brings savings in both time and money.

Figures from Statistics Finland show that the construction sector is among the top emissions producers; in 2019, CO2e emissions from construction totalled 1,542,892 tonnes, equal to around 275,000 round-the-world car trips.

In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a special report demonstrating the benefits of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees. This would require cutting the CO2 emissions by 55% of their 1990 levels by 2030.

‘In order to deal with this situation, we recently established a new company, Raksystems Climate Solutions Oy. We are providing the market with completely new solutions which optimise production conditions during construction and cut CO2 emissions and energy use, while still securing high-quality results,’ says Marko Malmivaara, CEO of Raksystems Group.

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions and construction costs with Geolo geoenergy

The most significant advance is achieved by deploying the Geolo full-package solution, which enables efficient use of geoenergy during construction. The solution offers big change potential by combining two key components: well-designed and implemented optimisation of production conditions and the use of renewable, carbon-neutral geoenergy obtained with new, patented technology during the construction phase.

“This solution can simultaneously provide significant cost savings, but above all it brings very significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, and can even achieve complete carbon-neutrality,” explains Janne Vanhanen, CEO of Raksystems Climate Solutions Oy.

The new, geothermal-based energy solution enables year-round optimisation of conditions; in summer, the site gets cooled down when the geoenergy well  field is recharged with geothermal energy. This opens new opportunities for more efficient production, as well as ensuring good, stable conditions for building materials and structures all year round.

“Ultimately, we have to tackle the root causes in order to impact the final result, and this we have achieved by applying strong expertise to the design process and fully utilising the new Geolo solution,” Vanhanen continues.

The solution is a separate package that remains on site only for the construction period, so the technology that is permanently installed is still provided new to the end user and the functionality of the geoenergy field is verified for the property’s planned lifecycle.

“It is wonderful to be solving sectoral challenges together with this team of experts, harnessing carbon-neutral, renewable geoenergy for use also during construction work,” says Jan Herranen, Country Manager at Rototec Oy.

“The new, patented technology enables the size of the energy field to be set according to the needs of the completed site. At the same, this innovative approach also provides excellent heating and cooling during construction,” explains Matti Simppala, CEO of Enersys Consulting Oy.

Optimal production conditions improve construction quality

Maintaining optimal production conditions throughout the year offers much potential for shortening production times by as much as several weeks and for fully utilising the takt? production method. Effectively utilising the solution throughout the construction period can bring significant savings in construction costs.

“With the Geolo construction site system, the humidity and temperature of the construction site can be remotely monitored, managed and controlled in a carefully planned way, thus avoiding unpleasant surprises during fast-paced construction work. The heating equipment that we use enables optimal energy use, which in turn significantly reduces CO2 emissions. The importance of getting the right construction conditions has been strongly emphasised in recent research and discussion. This is great to see,” says Michael Thors, Area Manager at El-Björn Oy.

“Through our own work, we want to help achieve climate targets and carry out our core mission of supporting healthy and thriving properties, environments and people. As a whole, this new innovation supports the construction industry and property owners in achieving their sustainability targets. For the end-users, meanwhile, it ensures a healthy and thriving environment. We are eagerly looking forward to the launch of the first projects together with our customers,” Vanhanen says.

Further information:

Janne Vanhanen, CEO, Geolo/Raksystems Climate Solutions Oy, tel. +358 30 670 5425, janne.vanhanen@raksystems.fi

Jan Herranen, Country Manager, Rototec Oy, tel. +358 40 610 5176, jan.herranen@rototec.fi

Matti Simppala, CEO, Enersys Consulting Oy, tel. +358 50 593 8443, matti.simppala@enersys.fi

Michael Thors, Area Manager, El-Björn Oy, tel. +358 407 206 533, michael.thors@elbjorn.fi

The long lifecycle of real estate begins underground – www.geolo.fi #Geolo