National Energy Globe Award to SFV

National Property Board Sweden (SFV) has been selected to receive the "National Energy Globe Award" for the new energy centre at Harpsund, the Swedish Prime Minister´s country retreat in Sörmland.

SFV, together with the Harpsundsnämnden (Harpsund Board), constructed a heating facility that is driven by wood chips, pellets and solar energy. The previous heat production, which was based on oil and electricity, has now been replaced with a modern district heating network. The new facility has been designed with great care in order to blend in with the environment. The solar panels have been given a representative placement on the roof of the machinery hall, quite visible to those who come by road to Harpsund.

The new culvert is 1,300 metres long and construction was begun in the spring of 2002. Evaluation of the project shows that the facility works extremely well, has good delivery capacity and provides sufficient heat during the entire year. During one year of operation 1,494 MWh of heat was produced (86 percent from wood chip burning, nine percent from pellets and five percent from solar energy). The project at Harpsund was selected as the facility of the year by the Swedish Solar Energy Association in 2004. The same year, the managers at Harpsund also received SFV´s internal environmental award.

Global and national honours

The Energy Globe Award is awarded annually. It is a global distinction, which is also awarded on a regional and national level. SFV and Harpsundsnämnden received the national award as best nominated Swedish project for sustainable energy solutions. In 2006, 90 countries participated with a total of 700 projects. The award was accepted by Lars Pellmark, energy specialist at the National Property Board Sweden at a ceremony in Brussels in April 2007.

Tradtion is change

Sweden has many buildings and environments of great value to its national cultural history. Each one is part of the nation´s history and its future. The National Property Board Sweden aims to make all Swedes proud of these national treasures, palaces and royal parks, theatres, museums, embassies and property comprising one seventh of the total land mass of Sweden. All are owned by the Swedes collectively, and the duty of the Board is to administer them in the best possible way.

Källa: SFV, 2009-07-10