Porvoon Energia, a Finnish energy company with over 2,000 properties and around 35,000 electricity customers, is launching a new collaboration with Gradyent and IOTOI aimed at further optimising energy efficiency within its district heating system. With a strong focus on minimising heat losses, Gradyent will develop a Digital Twin of the entire Porvoon Energia district heating grid. Integrated with IOTOI's PIP3-solution, this Digital Twin will provide Porvoon Energia with a real-time platform to efficiently recycle heat within the system.

This partnership is a key component of Porvoon Energia's comprehensive investment program, designed to accelerate the effectiveness of district heating in Porvoo, Finland. The program's overarching goal is to future-proof the heating grid, with energy efficiency serving as a vital pillar of its strategy.

Ari Raunio, Manager of Heat & Production at Porvoon Energia: "At Porvoon Energia, we constantly strive for best-in-class solutions. This collaboration will provide us with invaluable insights to expedite our optimisation efforts."

Finnish start-up IOTOI Oy offers energy companies and property owners a unique solution for a sustainable and cost-effective path to clean energy. Their PIP3-solution enables heat consumers and waste heat producers to utilise the return pipe in district heating grids. Porvoon Energia and IOTOI will collaborate to assess the current impact and scalability of the PIP3-solution while Gradyent joins as a partner to enhance energy efficiency in the Porvoo heating system.

Johnny Holmström, CEO of IOTOI: "We are thrilled to establish this partnership, which will deliver all parties a significant understanding of energy efficiency on a systemic level. The Digital Twin's dynamic scenarios will enable us to analyse the value of recycled heat accurately."

Building and implementing a real-time Digital Twin

Gradyent's Digital Twin Platform creates a real-time digital copy of the entire grid, integrating geographical, weather, and sensor data with physics-based models and AI. This platform empowers district heating companies to optimise their grid, achieve higher efficiencies, and simulate system changes.
 
With the Digital Twin, Gradyent will investigate the potential to further reduce the district heating water temperatures without affecting customer heating to enable real-time temperature optimisation. Additionally, Gradyent will analyse the economic, environmental, and operational potential for the scalability of the PIP3-solution to multiple locations.

Peter Hulshof, Chief Customer Operations at Gradyent: “We are very happy to work in partnership with Porvoon Energia and IOTOI to achieve an even more sustainable and operationally efficient way of producing energy in Porvoo. We’re excited to be supplying real-time insights into the distribution with the Gradyent Digital Twin.”