Hot Heart – a series of islands with the dual function of storing thermal energy storage and serving as a hub for recreational activities – has won the Helsinki Energy Challenge, which aims to decarbonize the heating system of the Finnish capital by 2030. The project was developed by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati in collaboration with Ramboll, Transsolar, Danfoss Leanheat®, Schneider Electric, OP Financial Group, schlaich bergermann partner and Squint/Opera.
A trans-disciplinary team, coordinated by international design and innovation office CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, has developed the finalist proposal for the Helsinki Energy Challenge. Titled Hot Heart, the project is based on an archipelago of heat-storing basins with the dual function of storing thermal energy and serving as a hub for recreational activities. The "islands" will also be home to tropical forests and ecosystems from around the world, giving the Finnish capital additional public space and a new educational attraction. Unprecedented in scale, the project was designed by Ramboll, Transsolar, Danfoss Leanheat® and Schneider Electric, with the coordination of OP Financial Group, schlaich bergermann partner and Squint/Opera.
Located off the coast of Helsinki, Hot Heart will be the largest infrastructural facility of its kind. The project consists of a set of 10 cylindrical basins, each measuring 225 meters in diameter. They collectively can hold up to 10 million cubic meters of water. The system functions like a giant thermal battery: low- or negative-cost renewable energy is converted into heat, stored in the tanks and withdrawn into the city''s heat distribution channels during the winter.
Hot Heart was developed as part of the Helsinki Energy Challenge organized by the municipality of Helsinki to accelerate the city''s transition towards carbon-neutrality in heating by 2030. The project is also highly adaptable and could be replicated by other cities with similar climatic characteristics pursuing sustainable heating solutions.
In addition to its thermal storage properties, Hot Heart doubles as an accessible recreational venue. Four of the 10 hot water reservoirs are enclosed in transparent domes containing the "Floating Forests" – tropical ecosystems from the world''s key rainforest zones naturally heated by the basins underneath. The "Floating Forests" provide visitors with a place to socialize and enjoy the sunlight, even in the harsh Nordic winter, thanks to the use of powerful Sun-like LED Technology. They create a unique public space for local residents and provide an attraction to international travelers.
"Production of renewable energy is getting cheaper, but storage is still extremely expensive. Our idea is to use the giant ''thermal batteries'' to store energy when prices are at low or even negative levels, and extract it when required by the district heating system when demand is high. This model would also be applicable to many coastal cities with similar climates," says Carlo Ratti, founding partner of CRA. "In addition, Hot Heart offers a unique experience, bringing the natural and artificial worlds together. It is inspired by the Finnish concept of Jokamiehen Oikeudet, which could be translated as ''every person''s right'': the right to reflect and unwind while peacefully enjoying nature."
CRA worked with an international group of consulting and manufacturing firms and energy optimization experts to develop the project''s central concept: using seawater heat pumps to convert wind, solar and other forms of power into heat, which is stored in Hot Heart''s reservoirs. The system, operated by artificial intelligence, synchronizes the production and consumption of thermal energy, which helps stabilize the national energy grid in relation to fluctuating supply. The whole system is expected to cover the entire heating needs of Helsinki, estimated at 6,000 GWh, by the end of the decade, all without any carbon emissions and at an estimated cost 10% lower than today.
Hot Heart is the latest project to highlight CRA''s vision to improve the urban environment through innovative climate remediation strategies. Similar projects by the studio include Living Nature, a pavilion at the Milan Design Week 2018 that created climate-controlled gardens corresponding to each of the four seasons. Developed in conjunction with the Museum of the Future in Dubai, the 2017 installation Sun&Shade was equipped with a set of sunlight-tracking mirrors that reflected excessive light and heat. The Cloud Cast, presented at the UAE Government Summit 2015, employed motion tracking technology to emit clouds of mists above people to achieve a localized cooling effect.
Having just won the Helsinki Energy Challenge, Hot Heart is planned to enter the master planning phase in 2021 and projected to be fully implemented in 2028.
CreditsCRA-Carlo Ratti Associati (Design)Ramboll (General Engineering)Transsolar (Climate Engineering)Danfoss Leanheat® (Demand Management Engineering)Schneider Electric (Technology Partner for Sustainability and Energy Efficiency)OP Financial Group (Financial Analysis)schlaich bergermann partner (Lightweight Structural Engineering)Squint/Opera (Communications Partner)
Renderings by CRA graphic team: Gary di Silvio, Pasquale Milieri, Gianluca Zimbardi
Located off the coast of Helsinki, Hot Heart will be the largest infrastructural facility of its kind. The project consists of a set of 10 cylindrical basins, each measuring 225 meters in diameter. They collectively can hold up to 10 million cubic meters of water. The system functions like a giant thermal battery: low- or negative-cost renewable energy is converted into heat, stored in the tanks and withdrawn into the city''s heat distribution channels during the winter.
In addition to its thermal storage properties, Hot Heart doubles as an accessible recreational venue. Four of the 10 hot water reservoirs are enclosed in transparent domes containing the "Floating Forests" – tropical ecosystems from the world''s key rainforest zones naturally heated by the basins underneath. The "Floating Forests" provide visitors with a place to socialize and enjoy the sunlight, even in the harsh Nordic winter, thanks to the use of powerful Sun-like LED Technology. They create a unique public space for local residents and provide an attraction to international travelers.
"Production of renewable energy is getting cheaper, but storage is still extremely expensive. Our idea is to use the giant ''thermal batteries'' to store energy when prices are at low or even negative levels, and extract it when required by the district heating system when demand is high. This model would also be applicable to many coastal cities with similar climates," says Carlo Ratti, founding partner of CRA. "In addition, Hot Heart offers a unique experience, bringing the natural and artificial worlds together. It is inspired by the Finnish concept of Jokamiehen Oikeudet, which could be translated as ''every person''s right'': the right to reflect and unwind while peacefully enjoying nature."
See the Hot Heart challenge video here!Video by Squint/Opera
Hot Heart; An international collaboration for the Helsinki Energy Challenge developed by the teams below:
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EIT InnoEnergy, together with a consortium of five innovative European companies including solar district heating producer Savosolar, and supported assets Heliac, Ecovat, HeatVentors and ConnectPoint, took part in the Helsinki Energy Challenge. This global competition launched by the city of Helsinki aims at identifying new solutions to meet Helsinki''s heating decarbonisation targets by 2030. The team put together an innovative, sustainable and scalable project combining five technological solutions allowing the city of Helsinki to reduce the carbon emissions of its district heating by an impressive 78% by 2030 compared to current levels. This front-running project could serve as an example of sustainable urban heating for other cities worldwide with great CO2 reduction potential.
In order to find the best solutions for urban heating during decades to come, the City of Helsinki has launched the Helsinki Energy Challenge – a global competition that seeks to answer the question: How can we decarbonise the heating of Helsinki, using as little biomass as possible?
The Helsinki Energy Challenge was open globally to start-ups and other companies, research institutions, universities, individual experts, consortiums or any other actor who can provide sustainable solutions to urban heating. To be eligible, the selected proposals had to significantly contribute to Helsinki''s ability to stop using coal by 2029 and speed up its journey to become carbon-neutral by 2035. EIT InnoEnergy''s entry reached the final stage of the competition and was selected as one of the 10 finalists among 252 applications.
EIT InnoEnergy created a consortium by bringing five complementary technologies together to develop a systemic and scalable solution based on solar thermal energy and heat storage.
"The transition to a 100% renewable, decarbonised energy system is possible – even for cities exposed to cold Nordic climates,"says Sofia Gonçalves, Smart Grid & Energy Storage Project Manager at EIT InnoEnergy Scandinavia who has been leading the participation at the Helsinki Energy Challenge. "Through the ingenuity of six innovative European companies and their complementary technologies, Helsinki will be the first to showcase this with their district heating network. Our solution delivers 1039 GWh of CO2-free, non-hazardous, and environmentally friendly solar thermal energy per year to the citizens of Helsinki, while maintaining existing levels of indoor climate comfort."
The solution is designed to be implemented, integrated and financed in a modular and scalable manner. Starting implementation with an entry-level system will allow for rapid deployment, economies of scale and a project management strategy that mitigates any technical, financial, or governance risks.
"The proposed solution is highly sustainable, cost competitive and technically feasible. And importantly, it has a high degree of social acceptance being based on solar thermal heat. Helsinki will be able to significantly decrease its import dependency on fossil fuels and provide a much higher degree of certainty for future operational costs. Through this front-running project, Helsinki will serve as an example of sustainable urban heating for other cities worldwide," adds Sofia Gonçalves.
The solution was designed thanks to a strong collaboration between six different entities based in six countries, bringing together five technological solutions to create an innovative and sustainable heating solution for cities around the globe, not only Helsinki. EIT InnoEnergy''s consortium of partners include:
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