Mundus Nordic Green News – 21 September, 2020

Tailwind continues for Nordic hydrogen listings

The oil-heavy Oslo Stock Exchange has struggled with falling oil prices, but there has been an upswing for many companies that deliver sustainable solutions. Teco 2030 ASA is now seeking listing on Merkur Market, focusing on hydrogen fuel cell for ships.

 

Handelsbanken's new head of sustainability sees growth in green loans

Handelsbanken's new Head of Sustainability, Catharina Belfrage Sahlstrand, believes that a new generation of green corporate loans is an important solution for the climate crisis. Green mortgages, with an interest rate discount linked to how energy-efficient the home is, are becoming increasingly popular. Many banks now also offer green loans, with interest rate rebates linked to sustainability goals, investments in renewable energy or climate-smart property development. According to Belfrage Sahlstrand, Handelsbanken is currently working on a range of products to make green financing available to more people.

 

Vattenfall tests wooden wind power towers

According to a press release from Vattenfall, the company will work with Modvion to start testing wind power towers built in laminated wood. According to Vattenfall, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by at least 25% during production if the technology is used.

 

Finland’s Aurelia ships first hydrogen turbine

Aurelia Turbines has completed the pre-testing of its new type of gas turbine, which has an electrical output of 400 kilowatts and can run on hydrogen, biogas, synthetic gas and other renewable fuels. Last week, the company shipped its first gas turbine to a customer. The device will be introduced outside Europe next winter.

 

Aurelia's turbine was developed by research groups of five different professors, more than 30 people from the University of Lappeenranta. The development of the gas turbine took much longer than the founder, Matti Malkamäki estimated when he founded the company in 2013. He said, “It takes time to combine high-speed technology, combustion and materials technology. The turbine has temperatures of a thousand degrees and has a lot of know-how and development. ”

 

SME climate hub launched at New York Climate Week

The SME Climate Hub was launched as part of New York Climate Week by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, the We Mean Business Coalition and the UN's Race to Zero Campaign, in partnership with Amazon

 

Despite the fact that small and medium-sized enterprises make up about 90% of the companies globally, and employ more than two billion people, they have so far not implemented ambitious climate measures on a large scale. The SME Climate Hub will encourage SMEs to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reach net emissions by 2050. SMEs making this commitment will be recognized by the UN Race to Zero campaign, and concrete tools and resources that help them reduce carbon dioxide emissions and build climate resilience for the future. Susanna Zeko, Secretary General and CEO, ICC Sweden, said “We have had the chance to pressure test SME Climate Hub nationally and received immediate confirmation that demand exists. The companies we have been in contact with in recent days have emphasized the need for initiatives that do not set new reporting requirements but instead mainstream sustainability work and offer practical tools. This way of working by guiding and influencing for positive effects is completely in line with the ICC's work over the last hundred years.”

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