Technology pundit Shawn Lesser identifies 11 breakthrough companies in Finland's expanding cleantech sector.

De Finse hoofdstad Helsinki kampte in februari 2010 met de ijzigste winter sinds 1982. De buitentemperatuur bedroeg er geregeld -14 °C en kouder. Maar dat is niet ongewoon, winterpieken van -30°C zijn er geen verrassing. De meeste woningen hebben er geen eigen boiler. In plaats daarvan zijn ze aangesloten op een collectief verwarmingssysteem, 'district heating'.

Il Wooden Design Hotel è un autentico esempio di tutto ciò che si può fare in architettura con il legno, attraverso un sapiente gioco di forme organiche, materiali naturali, impiego della luce e tecniche costruttive all’avanguardia. L’originale struttura, un vero e proprio hotel temporaneo per l’estate, è stata realizzata nell’isola di Valkosaari a sud del porto di Helsinki. Un luogo indubbiamente esclusivo, per pochi fortunati, dove potersi rifugiare in totale relax tra mare e cielo, immersi nella bellezza della natura finlandese.

Outside, the temperature is a bone-chilling minus 14C and Helsinki is struggling with its iciest winter since 1982, but deep inside a former bomb shelter carved from the bedrock beneath an Orthodox cathedral, the city’s power company is building what will soon be the world’s most high-tech municipal heating system.

As Turkey debates the benefits of hydropower, Pöyry, a Finnish expert in consulting and engineering, signs a contract for the development of hydroplants on the main branch of the Euphrates. Pöyry is committed to being a global thought leader in engineering-balanced sustainability by 2020, says Vilho Salovaara of Pöyry's Energy business group