The energy system at our anodising plant awarded Energy Genius of the Year 2024
10/12/2024
The energy system at Mäkelä Alu’s anodising plant has been recognised with the Energy Genius of the Year 2024 award. The award is granted by Finland’s Energy Authority, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, and Motiva (a Finnish government-affiliated organisation promoting energy efficiency) for outstanding energy efficiency measures that promote responsible energy use in a distinctive way.
The award was given to us for the following reasons:
“The new energy system at Mäkelä Alu’s anodising plant is a prime example of electrifying industrial processes and utilising waste heat. This initiative boldly implements actions that should already be widely adopted in the industry to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. As a family business, Mäkelä Alu is at the forefront of scalable and adaptable solutions that can benefit other industries as well.”
What is it about?
Mäkelä Alu upgraded the heating and cooling system of its anodising plant by replacing a liquefied gas steam system with a heat pump and electric boilers. The heat pump allows waste heat to be utilised while also cooling the process. In addition, drying was converted to operate with warm water and electric heaters instead of steam. New sensors, automation, and controls were introduced to enhance and optimise the system’s operation.
The electrification of process heating and cooling has significantly reduced the plant’s external energy demand, improved energy efficiency by approximately 35% per produced tonne, and decreased CO2 emissions by over 700 tonnes annually.
Our energy system was also recently recognised with the international Net-Zero Industries Award. You can find more about it here: A significant international award for our anodising plant.
