27 Oct 2022

Algae cultivation heating Swedish households: when health supplements production meets district heating and cooling

Excess/waste heat from cooling the AstaReal’s algae cultivation is now recovered and used for the Gustavsberg district heating, near Stockholm (Sweden), operated by Vattenfall.  

AstaReal’s produces food supplement based on micro algaes. Its production process is energy-intensive and requires both electricity and cooling. The new solution developed by Vattenfall makes it possible to efficiently recover heat from the production process, which means that more than fifteen million kilowatt hours of heat per year will be recovered and reused in the local district heating network. 
 
The excess heat recovered covers 20% of the needs of Gustavsberg’s district heating network, contributing to heating up to 2,500 apartments.  
 
Another illustration of how we can make our energy system more circular, efficient and sustainable, relying on the recovery of heat that would otherwise be lost, harnessed through district heating.  
 
Peter Worsöe, CEO of AstaReal AB, said: 
 
"Production of natural astaxanthin takes place through algae cultivation in unique indoor photobioreactors. Therefore, we must use electricity and cooling as efficiently as possible. Our extended partnership with Vattenfall aligns with our ambition to grow the algae as sustainably as possible and be a positive force in society with a circular business. We're really happy that the Excess Heat Recovery Project is now up and running."  
 

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