Get Hyped for the Net Zero Future: Insights from Sumitomo SHI FW’s Expert Panels
On October 7, 2025, industry leaders, researchers, and innovators gathered at Hype Areena to celebrate the launch of Sumitomo SHI FW’s Veturi Program, Net Zero Energy Ecosystem (NZEE). The bold new initiative aims to accelerate Finland’s path toward a carbon-neutral energy system. The event brought together pioneers from across the energy value chain to explore how collaboration, new technologies and creative thinking can drive the green transition.
To accelerate the journey to net zero, Sumitomo SHI FW (SFW) is spearheading a collaboration program focused on developing innovative solutions for decarbonizing energy systems. Based in Finland, the initiative aims to create an efficient Net Zero Energy Ecosystem (NZEE) through close cooperation with partner companies.
As part of the program’s launch, SFW brought together key stakeholders at Hype Areena in Espoo, Finland to discuss the future of clean energy and the role of collaboration in achieving net zero.
Two expert panels took the stage to discuss the key enablers of the transition to net zero:
- Panel 1: How LDES enables the decarbonization of electricity grids focused on the role of long-duration energy storage in balancing renewable power and ensuring grid stability.
- Panel 2: The role of NZEE in the future roll-out of e-fuels and CCUS projects highlighted Finland’s potential to lead the hydrogen economy and scale carbon capture solutions across the Nordics.
Together, the discussions painted a picture of a future where innovation, risk-taking and collaboration go hand in hand, and where Finland’s strong energy foundation positions it to lead by example.
In this article, we share the key insights from the two panel discussions.
#1: Decarbonization Requires a Holistic View of the Grid
Decarbonization isn’t only about generating more renewable energy—it’s about orchestrating an entire system where production, storage, regulation, and networks work together seamlessly.
As Upma Koul, SVP of Energy Storage at Sumitomo SHI FW, pointed out: “The grid is the most complex and largest machine ever made by human beings.” She referenced Gretchen Bakke’s The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future to underline just how intricate the system is.
Decarbonizing the system is an equally complex task, and one that must be tackled with a holistic approach rather than a series of isolated challenges.
#2: Solving Intermittency Is Key
As renewable generation expands, balancing supply and demand becomes one of the biggest challenges on the road to net zero. The wind doesn’t always blow, and the sun doesn’t always shine, making intermittency a central issue for the energy transition. Solving it requires long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies that can store power for days rather than hours, backed by market mechanisms that make such investments viable.
Ville Rimali, Investment Director of Energy Storage at Taaleri, and Joakim Lagerholm, Vice President of Nordics at Siemens Energy, both underlined this need.
“How can we store the energy and shift it to the time we need it?” Lagerholm asked, emphasizing the urgency of developing scalable storage capacity across Europe.
For Upma Koul, grid stability, resiliency and security go hand in hand.
“Achieving decarbonization of the energy systems requires a holistic approach in which all aspects like stability, resiliency and flexibility are considered and there is a mechanism to incentivize such services. A comprehensive energy system modelling reveals the impact of Long Duration Energy System storage rather than focusing on LCOS or LCOE.”
A comprehensive energy system modelling reveals the impact of Long Duration Energy System storage rather than focusing on LCOS or LCOE.
Upma Koul, Sumitomo SHI FW
Rimali added a market-based perspective, suggesting that contractual hybrid Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) that combine solar, wind and batteries under one contract, could help address the challenge of energy shifting and strengthen investment incentives for storage.
#3: Regulation and Market Incentives Lag Behind Innovation
As clean-energy technologies gather pace, regulation and market design are struggling to keep up. Storage and renewables are expanding rapidly, yet there is still no regulatory mechanism that evaluates storage, stability and shifting as one integrated system.
Erika Laajalahti, Sector Manager for Carbon Removal & CCUS at the Bioenergy Association of Finland, noted that current frameworks fail to create the market conditions needed for renewable growth.
“The Final Investment Decisions made so far fall short of what’s required to meet 2030 targets,” she said.
She also emphasized that while EU-level climate targets are ambitious, implementation at the member-state level remains inconsistent, and the lack of incentives continues to create uncertainty for investors. This challenge was echoed by Mika Jantunen, Director of Engineering and Technology at Ilmatar, who noted that without clear increase in demand, renewable production projects struggle to become financially viable.
Ilkka Koskinen, Director of Operations at Nevel, added the perspective of smaller-scale energy producers, noting that carbon capture shouldn’t be limited to large industrial sites. According to Koskinen, smaller, decentralized power plants can also play a significant role in carbon capture, provided the regulatory and financial frameworks to support them.
These challenges highlight a growing gap between technological progress and the policy frameworks meant to support it. Without regulatory clarity and financial mechanisms that reward stability, storage, flexibility and carbon reduction, the green transition risks losing momentum, even as technological readiness continues to accelerate.
#4: What We Need Is Risk Taking and “a Touch of Madness”
Driving the next wave of clean-energy innovation will take more than technology—it will take courage, bold pilots and innovative partnerships that demonstrate feasibility.
Tuomo Rinne, VP of Business Development at P2X Solutions, reflected on how early risk-taking and cross-industry cooperation led to the success of Finland’s first industrial-scale green hydrogen plant in Harjavalta. The risk paid off, and P2X gained valuable operational insights at scale, creating a reference point not only for the company but for the wider industry. As Mika Järvinen, Associate Professor at Aalto University, put it, “We need these success stories—examples that show others it can be done and inspire them to follow.”
Erika Laajalahti and Upma Koul agreed that Finland’s progress depends on a bold willingness to experiment and take the lead rather than waiting for perfect conditions. Rinne reinforced this point, emphasizing the need to “move from PowerPoints to power plants”. In other words, focus less on plans and more on building, showcasing, and exporting practical solutions.
We need to move from PowerPoints to power plants
Tuomo Rinne, P2X Solutions
Bringing the conversation full circle, Esa Vakkilainen, Professor Emeritus of Energy Systems at LUT University, concluded: “To succeed, we need to be a bit loco.”
The remark nodded to the NZEE’s role as a Veturi (“locomotive”) program funded by Business Finland, designed to pull an entire ecosystem forward. In that spirit, being “a little bit loco” isn’t just about a touch of madness, but about momentum: the courage to think differently, push boundaries and keep the energy transition moving full steam ahead.
To succeed, we need to be a bit loco.
Esa Vakkilainen, LUT University
#5: Finland Is Uniquely Positioned: Strong Grid, Innovation Culture, and Potential to Lead
The path and pace to net zero look different in every country. Yet few are as well equipped to lead the way as Finland. With a high share of renewable energy and one of the most reliable grids in the world, Finland stands at the forefront of the clean energy transition.
Joakim Lagerholm from Siemens noted that “Finland has basically already decarbonized its grid. We’re twenty years ahead of the rest of Europe — and we can show others the way.”
Finland has basically already decarbonized its grid. We’re twenty years ahead of the rest of Europe — and we can show others the way.
Joakim Lagerholm, Siemens Energy
Mika Jantunen from Ilmatar reinforced the point, pointing out that “Finland has one of the best grids in the world.”
This strong foundation, combined with Finland’s culture of innovation and collaboration, creates fertile ground for rethinking business models and developing scalable decarbonization solutions for the Nordics and beyond. A stable, clean and affordable electricity system also gives Finland a unique advantage in advancing hydrogen-based power, synthetic fuels and CCUS technologies — key enablers of a carbon-neutral future.
