Case Study In Finland Research Articles

Emissions trading and investment decisions in the power sector—a case study in Finland

Organizations, which consider investment in or divestment of power production licences/capacity within the European Community, are exposed to the impacts of the European Union Emission allowance Trading Scheme (EU ETS). In this paper, the consequences of the EU ETS on investment decisions are explored in a country-specific setting in Finland. First, we review the general mechanisms through which the EU ETS influences size, timing and cashflows of an investment. Next, we discuss the projected changes in Finnish power producers’ investment environment and examine the financial impacts due to the EU ETS on a case investment decision, a hypothetical condensing power plant (250 MW e). The standard discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis is extended to take into account the value of two real options: the option to wait and the option to alter operating scale. In a quantitative investment appraisal, the impact of emissions trading not only depends on the expected level of allowance prices, but also on their volatility and correlation with electricity and fuel prices. The case study shows that the uncertainty regarding the allocation of emission allowances is critical in a quantitative investment appraisal of fossil fuel-fired power plants.

Late summer vertical nutrient fluxes estimated from direct turbulence measurements: a Gulf of Finland case study

Late summer vertical nutrient fluxes estimated from direct turbulence measurements: a Gulf of Finland case study

Current states and problems of forest certification system : A case study in Finland

Current states and problems of forest certification system : A case study in Finland

EcoBalance model for assessing sustainability in residential areas and relevant case studies in Finland

The EcoBalance Model was developed at VTT, the Technical Research Center of Finland, in the early 1990s, and it has been used in several case studies in Finland. The model estimates the total consumption of energy and other natural resources, the production of emissions and wastes, and the costs caused directly and indirectly by residential areas and urban structures on a life-cycle basis. The results of the case studies give information about the ecological impacts of different solutions in urban development. The case study introduced in this article indicates that eco-villages are not necessarily very sound from an ecological point of view. On average, eco-villages require more energy and raw materials, they produce more emissions, and they cost more than urban small-house areas. The EcoBalance model can be used when planning new areas or developing new urban structures, constructing buildings and infrastructure, as well as developing sustainable life styles.

The information society: environmental policy perspective and beyond

This article discusses prospects of strengthening new increasingly global economic activities and environmental governance by focusing on the institutional relationship between information society policy issues and environmental policy issues. These two sets of issues have some common denominators insofar as they are both comprehensive and go beyond traditional sector policy rationalities, as illustrated by the notions of “sustainable development” and “ecological modernization” in the case of environmental issues, and neither can avoid the problem of governance subjects such as social legitimacy and institutional dynamics between the main actors. The article also identifies a more functional relationship between these issues and discusses challenges common to both as well as asking whether there is institutional potential and capacity to find “synergy” by integrating environmental policy elements into moves towards information society and vice versa. The case study of Finland reveals that information society strategy lacks environmental policy objectives and discusses the factors behind this failure. The lack of integration of different policy areas is an issue of organizational power with policy actors showing no real interest in radically changing prevailing bureaucratic institutions and socioeconomic structures. Beyond organizational factors the policy problems seem to be based on the inconsistency of different policy rationalities with information society reasoning being justified by economic‐technical rationality whereas environmental policies are justified by natural scientific rationality, which policy makers do not consider to be in their interests. The article concludes with the assertion that the principles of ecological modernization could potentially unite environmental policies and positive environmental aspects of information society policies.

Impact of historical metalworks on the concentrations of major and trace elements in sediments: a case study in Finland

The concentrations of major and trace elements were determined (aqua regia leach and ICP-AES analyses) in stream, lake and dredged sediments downstream of the historical Antskog iron- and copperworks, S.Finland. The levels of Ag, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn are highly elevated in all studied sediment types: roughly half of the studied lake-sediment samples contain >5 ppm Ag, >15 ppm Cd, >0.1% Cu, >0.1% Pb and >0.3% Zn. In the dredged sediment material located onshore, the concentrations of Ag, Cu and Pb are comparable to those in the polluted lake-sediment samples, while in stream sediments elevated metal concentrations are found especially in samples characterised by high concentrations of organic material. The source of the elevated metal concentrations is the historical metalworks at Antskog, mainly the copperworks of the 19th century. Compared to the limit values for contaminated soils in Finland, the concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn are on average elevated by factors >10 in the polluted horizons of lake sediments, >5 in the dredged sediment located onshore and >2 at the most heavily contaminated site in the stream. Since the surface waters in the area are used for agricultural purposes and for various leisure activities, it is necessary to make further detailed investigations into the extent of the metal pollution and to determine species, mobility and bioavailability of the metals.

The societal participation of Vietnamese refugees: Case studies in Finland and Canada

This qualitative multiple case study looks at the integration of Vietnamese refugee communities in Finland and Canada, using societal participation as an analytic framework. In both sites, the high priority on economic aspects of participation is indicated by the self‐reported resettlement goals variably expressed as financial stability’, ‘a stable livelihood’, ‘a good job’, ‘a really good job’. These goals should be seen in the light of the aftermath of widespread disruption of regular economic participation in the home country. Vietnamese refugee resettlement in Finland and Canada displays a watershed between arriving ‘in the right place at the right time’ i.e., in a strong economy, when newcomers could be accommodated relatively rapidly into the labour market, or at a later time of harsh economic realities, a much less receptive public mood and bleaker employment prospects. In Finland the parity of opportunity to develop language and labour market related skills has had significant gender‐based implications, fostering the participation of women of all educational and socioeconomic levels in language and labour market training and later in the labour force. The ‘gates’ to economic participation in Canada included opportunities in ethnic enterprise, and ethnospecific settlement services, which are not developed in Finland, where alternatively, seasonal participation in the agricultural sector can be seen to represent a form of biological and geographical adaptation.

A Credit Crunch? a Case Study of Finland in the Aftermath of the Banking Crisis

This paper estimates a disequilibrium model of credit supply and demand to evaluate whether there was a credit crunch in Finland following the banking crisis of 1991-92. Empirical analysis suggests that the marked reduction in bank lending was mainly in reaction to a cyclical decline in credit demand, likely exacerbated by the high level of indebtedness of the borrowers. It also appears that banks became less willing to supply credit during periods associated with a deterioration in asset quality, and reduced profits due to declining regulatory protection from competition, and a need to increase capital adequacy levels.

Community development and voluntary associations: Case studies in Finland, England and Ireland

(1984). Community development and voluntary associations: Case studies in Finland, England and Ireland. Leisure Studies: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 107-121.