Event

6.10. - 7.10.

Forgotten or irreplaceable? The role of district heating in the energy transition

The “Forgotten or Irreplaceable?” seminar on district heating is a two-day event that brings together key operators, researchers and developers to consider the future prospects of the development of district heating and its role in new energy systems. 

Forgotten or irreplaceable? The role of district heating in the energy transition
Time
06.10.2026 10:00 - 07.10.2026 16:00
Registration time
01.09.2026 00:00 - 30.09.2026 23:59
Event type
Seminar
Event language

English

Price

Program is free of charge

Address

Piippukatu 2
40100 Jyväskylä
Finland

Dive into district heating in Jyväskylä!

The seminar provides participants with an overview of the transformation of district heat from research to actual systems in use. Welcome aboard!

On Tuesday's seminar day, we will hear the current views of energy companies, engineering offices and researchers on, for example, topics such as energy transition, utilisation of waste heat and heat storage.

On Wednesday's excursion day, the participants will get to know concrete solutions for developing district heating in Central Finland.

The seminar program is free of charge for participants. 

To whom?

The seminar is aimed at district heating operators, researchers, and developers.

The event can accommodate 50 participants.

Price

The seminar program is free of charge for participants. We offer participants a bus ride to the excursion sites on Wednesday's excursion day.

Participants book and pay for their own accommodation and travel.

Accommodation

Seminar participants can get a 10 % discount on daily room rates at Hotel Verso.

Room reservations can be made directly from Hotel Verso home page with the booking code JAMK. Alternatively, reservations can be made by phone to Hotel Verso reception +358 14 333 999 or by email info@hotelliverso.fi.

Programme

Tuesday - Seminar Day

The seminar day is held at Lutakko Campus in auditorium D110.

Address: Piippukatu 2, 40100 Jyväskylä, Finland.

We reserve the right to make changes to the programme.

10.00 Opening words

The schedule of the seminar.

UKKO project - New Hybrid District Heating Concepts

Speakers:

Ari Kuisma, project manager at Jamk
Nashmin Hosseinpour, energy specialist at Jamk

12.00-13.00 Lunch

Participants can choose where they eat and pay for their own lunch.

Nearest lunch places are:

Waste or resource? The potential of low-temperature waste heat in district heating – case: water electrolysis

The presentation covers the conditions under which low-temperature, variable waste heat can be techno-economically integrated into district heating, and the role of fourth-generation district heating in this and in the energy transition more broadly.

Speaker: Altti Meriläinen, M.Sc. (Tech.), works as a Junior Researcher in the Department of Electrical Engineering at LUT University. He researches how renewable electricity and thermal energy generation and storage as well as energy flow control are techno-economically co-optimized for buildings and industry as part of the surrounding energy system. In his dissertation, he explores the conditions under which low-temperature waste heat generated in water electrolysis can be utilized cost-effectively in district heating and direct air capture of carbon. Additionally, he researches the electrification of heavy road transport, with a particular focus on design and control of charging infrastructure. In his free time, he enjoys various activities, including cycling, running, skiing, and working on personal engineering projects.

 

Energy system transition in Jyväskylä toward non-combustion technology

Speaker: Riku Martikainen, Business Manager at ALVA.

Unlocking waste heat recovery and large heat pump integration through the demand side optimisation: Lessons from Viborg municipality

This work shows how demand-side optimisation can unlock low-temperature waste heat integration in district heating systems without requiring deep building retrofits. Using high-resolution monitoring and data-driven analysis in Viborg, the study identifies operational bottlenecks and demonstrates achievable reductions in supply and return temperatures. The results highlight how building-level control and data integration can translate into system-level gains, improving efficiency and enabling future large-scale waste heat utilisation.

Speaker: Michele Tunzi, Associate Professor in the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Department at Technical University of Denmark

17.00 The Seminar day ends

Need something to do for the evening? For tips, please check out Visit Jyväskylä Region web pages. From there, you can find lots to see and do in Jyväskylä, e.g. The Express Route tour, that guides you through the city in 3 hours!

Wednesday - Excursion Day

The day starts at Jyväskylä Travel Centre (address: Hannikaisenkatu 20, 40100 Jyväskylä), from where there is a free buss transportation to the excursion sites.

9.00 Departure from Jyväskylä Travel Centre

Address: Hannikaisenkatu 20, 40100 Jyväskylä.

The buss leaves at 9.00 o'clock, so please arrive to the Travel Centre at least 8.50 o'clock.

9.30 Alva, Jyväskylä

Alva's new electric boiler and thermal storage tank, and the heat pump station at the wastewater treatment plant. 

12.00 Lunch at Ruustinna

All dishes include a generous salad buffet, beverages, freshly baked house bread and spreads, a little sweet treat, and coffee or freshly brewed tea from Teeleidi. Special diets are taken into account.

All participants pay for their own lunch.

13.00 Saarijärven Kaukolämpö Oy, Saarijärvi

New electric boiler.

14.00 Bioeconomy campus, Tarvaala

New Hybrid District Heating Concepts testing environment

Return to Jyväskylä Travel Centre by 16.00

The bus will return to Jyväskylä Travel Centre by 16.00 o'clock.

Registration

Registration is open until September 30.

Register by September 30

More information

Ari Kuisma

Senior Lecturer
Institute of Bioeconomy
School of Technology
+358406305086