Eco-Innovations Let Town Quit Fossil Fuel

Kalmar, a small town in Sweden, has accomplished what some say is impossible. Through innovative thinking and sound sustainable resource planning, the town is about quit fossil fuels for good.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Kalmar has systematically eliminated its reliance on fossil fuel as it adopted various alternative biofuel sources to provide power. Currently the city and the surrounding region use an interesting combination of eco-friendly sources for electricity and gas, with an impressive 65% of power coming from sustainable sources.

The city now provides power to its 60,000 residents, as well as outlying areas, through the use of "district heat, " which is produced from burning both sawdust and wood waste that comes from the area's timber companies. Other sources of power for the area include hydropower, nuclear power and windmills, all of which account for 90% of the total electricity used in the area.

Even city vehicles are switching to eco-friendly sources of gas. Official city vehicles and many privately owned vehicles now use one of two sources of biofuel. The first comes from a combination of waste wood and chicken manure, while the other environmentally friendly option is an 85% ethanol blend.

According to residents, the move to more sustainable energy sources has not diminished their quality of life. If anything, life has improved thanks to lower fuel bills, tax incentives and a very healthy economy.

It's clear that Kalmar's businesses have also adopted a more sustainable approach. One Kalmar company moved from manufacturing oil boilers to renewable energy furnaces, which has more than doubled its sales.

Another company, a local wood pulp plant, devised a way to capture the steam and hot water that is released from their plant. Instead, the steam and hot water now create heat for an entire town and generate enough power for the plant to operate.

Kalmar's success at embracing sustainable energy sources is great motivation for the rest of the world. While a move away from fossil fuels certainly requires a change in thinking, it's obviously very achievable.

Via Building Design + Construction