Here is the session schedule for the autumn 2026:
| Date, time and location | Session theme | Presenter | Presenter and topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 3th, 14:00-15:30, room 124 A | Energy justice and resilience | Kalle Simpanen | Advancing Energy Justice and Resilience: Financial Analysis of Rural Energy Communities |
| Jukka Luhas | Wetland cultivation on former peat extraction sites: Innovation system dynamics in just and resilient sustainability transitions | ||
| October 8th, 14:00-15:30, room 168 |
Stakeholder perspectives across wood applications | Linnea Raaska | Consumer’s quality perceptions in the case of everyday clothing and the role of wood |
| Feng (Lily) Tian-Davey | Stakeholder roles in facilitating the use of reclaimed wood in construction: A comparative European case study | ||
| November 5th, 14:00-15:30, room 168 |
LCA methods and applications | Adisa Wiloso | Time-explicit LCA of wood-based textile or Consequential LCA using econometric in food sector |
| Lauri Leppäkoski | Which way the wind blows: A review of biodiversity impacts and mitigation opportunities in the life cycle of onshore wind | ||
| December 3th, 14:00-15:30, room 168 |
Forest owners and nature values | Janina Harmanen | Emerging voluntary nature value markets & values and strategies of forest owners in Finland |
| Tyyne Vuorela | Responsibility Transfer and Justice in natural resource-based Supply Chains |
Wetland cultivation on former peat extraction sites: Innovation system dynamics in just and resilient sustainability transitions
"Innovations are widely regarded as central to transitions toward sustainable systems. Peat has historically played a key role in supporting resilience, particularly by contributing to energy security. However, the rapid phase-out of peat extraction, driven by climate policy targets, has created an urgent need to ensure a just transition for former peat producers. In this context, wetland cultivation (paludiculture) has emerged as a promising alternative, offering new economic opportunities alongside environmental benefits. However, the structure of its dispersed innovation system and its contributions to justice and resilience remain insufficiently understood. This study examines innovation system functions and how justice and resilience are embedded within them, using wetland cultivation on former peat extraction sites in Finland as the empirical case. It draws on a thematic analysis of 20 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, such as farmers, processors, and public authorities. The results show systemic misalignment among market formation, resource mobilization, and value-chain coordination. The level of development and scalability varies across crops, with reed canary grass being more advanced than other alternatives, while further scaling is constrained by missing value-chain actors, challenges in water and nutrient management, and a lack of appropriate support instruments. Justice and resilience are co-produced through innovation system dynamics, particularly through the retention and mobilization of existing knowledge, capabilities, and actor networks. Successful post-peat transitions therefore require coordinated interventions that align innovation system functions with justice and resilience considerations."
Advancing Energy Justice and Resilience: Financial Analysis of Rural Energy Communities
"The justice of the energy transition has been questioned due to unequal impacts on user groups, while the demand for resilience has grown to ensure a reliable energy supply under uncertain conditions. Energy communities (EC) can improve both, but their financial feasibility has not been thoroughly assessed, even though such assessment is essential for determining whether they can be implemented affordably. This study evaluates EC in relation to justice and resilience through financial analysis in rural Southern Finland under uncertain conditions. The study evaluates five energy system scenarios based on solar energy and ground-source heat pumps, including oil- and battery-based EC scenarios (large and small) and non-EC diesel generator and wood-chip scenarios. In ECs, shared solar and batteries are utilised, and an institution supplies electricity to others during outages.
The oil-based EC scenario had the highest costs, followed by large and small battery scenarios, while the diesel and wood-chip (non EC) had the lowest costs. Solar and battery systems showed vulnerability due to high investment costs. Both battery-based EC systems reduced costs relative to the oil-based EC scenario, with the smaller battery being 269 000€ and the larger battery 146 000€ less costly than the oil based option. The wood chip scenario had the lowest overall costs, 446 000€ lower than the smaller battery scenario, indicating that the formation of an energy community does not automatically reduce costs. However, interconnected resilience and justice outcomes depend primarily on technology choices rather than on the community structure itself. Accordingly, physical resilience is improved through better security of supply, while distributional justice is supported by affordable access to clean energy. The findings highlight the value of open-source market price data for affordability assessment, inform renewable energy investment decisions, and offer policy insight into how backup solutions can complement grid reinforcement to improve rural electricity supply security."