INTRODUCTION More steps on the path to a sustainable society Good news on the energy front is always welcome – especially when the future of the world’s energy markets is so uncertain and full of challenges. So it gives me extra pleasure to introduce another Green Advisor Report, packed full with yet more successful projects that represent small but significant steps on the way towards a more sustainable society. Optimising energy use has always been an area in which ÅF excels. Now ÅF clients like Sweden’s Balder Fastighet property company can implement their own energy efficiency measures with the aid of the ÅF Energy Controller. This easy-to-use analytical tool helps property owners and industrial clients to manage and monitor energy use and environmental performance more closely and see the savings they are making. Over the past ten years liquefied natural gas (LNG) has become one of the world’s fastest-growing energy sectors – and not without good reason. Natural gas burns much cleaner than oil and diesel, with almost no emissions of sulphur. And liquefaction reduces the volume of natural gas by a factor of 600, simplifying storage and transport when pipelines are not available, and slashing the costs associated with these. For a steelmaker like Outokumpu in Avesta, Sweden, these are important considerations. But converting industrial facilities to run on LNG is a complex process. That is where ÅF is able to help. Our expertise in conducting advanced pre-studies, our familiarity with both conventional and alternative fuels, and more than a century’s experience of industrial progress enable us to create solutions that are profitable for clients, safe to use, and sustainable for society. Profitability, sustainability and safety are also important for E.ON’s new offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. This will ultimately produce 180 GWh of clean, sustainable electricity a year, reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions in the Nordic electricity system by 100,000 tonnes. Work on the 16 wind turbines involves many risks but ÅF’s experts have minimised the dangers with careful planning and comprehensive risk assessments. As the site is a nature conservation area rich in birdlife, ÅF has also implemented extra safeguards to prevent any oil leaks, etc. during installation. Here, as in the other projects described in this Green Advisor Report, clients have been attracted by ÅF’s vast pool of expertise and experience and reassured by ÅF’s track record of creating solutions that are profitable, safe and sustainable. Whatever the challenge – improving the quality of drinking water in Kyrgyzstan, devising a regulatory framework for promoting the use of renewable energy in Ukraine, or developing software to simplify biofuel management logistics in Sweden – ÅF has almost certainly already performed a similar assignment at some earlier date. This means that ÅF clients not only reap the advantages of our extensive international experience. They also benefit from the improved productivity and reduced costs for assignments that this can deliver. The value of ÅF’s technical know-how and environmental expertise is widely recognised. The Nordic Council of Ministers has commissioned a strategic study from ÅF into the best available technology for reducing noise in and around quarries. In Norway ÅF’s expertise has helped minimise energy consumption in Stavanger’s new state-of-the-art concert hall, while also assuring visitors of a truly first-rate musical experience. And in Falun, Sweden, ÅF has been appointed Green Advisor for the 2015 Nordic World Ski Championships. If any more evidence of ÅF’s credentials and credibility in environmental consulting is needed, you can read about these projects and more in this new issue of Green Advisor Report. Enjoy! Jonas Wiström, CEO – ÅF AB “Whatever the challenge, ÅF has almost certainly already performed a similar environmental consulting assignment at some earlier date.” GREEN ADVISOR REPORT 2013:02 1
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