By storing waste heat and using it when demand peaks, waste-to-energy power plants could maximize the benefits and minimize the downsides of incinerating waste. This strengthens the economic case for waste-based energy at a time of increasing regulatory pressures, writes QHeat’s CTO & Founder Rami Niemi.
2026 might mark the beginning of a new era.
Until now, municipal waste-to-energy plants have only been required to monitor, report, and verify their emissions. Next year, the European Commission will release its anticipated assessment on whether these plants will be fully included in the EU’s emission trading system. While the change could accelerate the green transition, it would also raise the cost of both traditional waste-to-energy production and its consumption.
For a long time, waste-to-energy plants have been considered solid investments and provided a more sustainable alternative to fossil-based energy production. In many European cities, these plants have contributed to heating systems, relying on a consistent supply of waste as fuel.
With this consistent supply comes a significant inefficiency: waste heat. However, QHeat’s geothermal wells offer a way to turn this byproduct from a missed opportunity to a financial and environmental advantage.
QHeat’s technology helps maximize the benefit and minimize the disadvantages of waste. Here’s how.
Waste-to-energy plants are contractually obliged to accept waste from producers and incinerate it as it is supplied, regardless of the timing or current demand for heat. A power plant’s capacity is also predetermined, meaning it can’t be adjusted based on the varying heat demand. Waste-to-energy plants’ lack of flexibility can be solved with a combination of heat pumps and thermal storage.
QHeat’s geothermal wells allow excess heat generated in the summer to be stored underground and released in the winter, helping to balance the supply and demand of energy. This reduces the need to rely on combustion-based surplus energy sources.
Despite advances in recycling technology and habits, large amounts of non-recyclable materials still end up in incineration. Plastic and bio-waste may burn efficiently, but produce high emissions and generate more waste heat.
With QHeat’s technology, the waste heat is stored at the bottom of the well instead of near to the surface, where it could escape more easily. Deep underground, the crust stays warm until the next heating season..
We are talking about more than just a theoretical solution. QHeat’s heat storage technology has already been put to use in Salo, a city in Southwest Finland. The Lounavoima waste-to-energy plant has had a total of six QHeat’s wells installed to achieve better energy efficiency in district heating. These wells are not meant to replace the plant’s entire waste-to-energy capacity, but to supplement it.
With QHeat’s technology, power plants can shift energy recovery to the right times. Since waste heat wasn’t captured and put to use previously, it can now be classified as renewable energy. This means that waste-to-energy plants don’t have to pay emission trading fees for that portion, gaining the benefit of reducing costs while staying operational.
It is safe to say that seasonal heat storage could offer waste-to-energy plants an economically viable solution. In fact, the Lounavoima waste-to-energy plant commissioned a survey comparing different heat storage technologies. QHeat’s technology emerged as the most economically viable, leading to its selection.
In the future, waste-to-energy plants need to adapt to a shifting energy landscape and increasing regulatory pressure. Seasonal heat storage is a scalable, practical, and proven way to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs without overhauling existing infrastructure.
Interested in discovering how seasonal heat storage can make your waste-to-energy operations more efficient and future-proof?
Get in touch to learn more!
