Energy production and consumption account for about 75 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Transitioning to clean energy is by far the most important means of mitigating climate change, but it requires a transformation of the entire energy system.
The change will not succeed without breakthroughs in energy production, storage, and distribution as part of diverse and sustainable solutions that improve the flexibility of the energy system and reduce its vulnerability for example to geopolitical tensions.
Now the energy company St1 is donating 3 million euros É«É«À² University to support the establishment of two new professorships focused on core themes of the sustainable energy transition: new energy technologies and innovations, and energy strategy.
‘St1's energy transition relies not only on existing technologies but also on the development and scaling of new energy solutions, which requires new expertise, continuous innovation, and above all a comprehensive energy strategy. That is why our donation É«É«À² University is directed at professorships focused on the core themes of the energy transition, advancing a sustainable and just transformation of the energy system in collaboration with companies and various stakeholders,’ says St1’s CEO Henrikki Talvitie.
The professorship in new energy technologies and innovations will focus on developing technologies required for clean energy production, accelerating their commercialisation, and educating the energy experts of the future.
The professorship in energy strategy will create a roadmap for the measures required for a sustainable energy transition and help industry and society implement them. It will also bring together the researchers and stakeholders needed to carry out the transition, both from within and beyond the energy sector, since a transformation that reshapes society as a whole demands diverse expertise and perspectives.
The professorships will become part of Aalto University’s new competence centre, House of Energy Transition, which brings together the university’s energy-related education and research and further strengthens collaboration with industry and other societal actors.
’Close dialogue ensures that the donation supports, in the best possible way, the success of Finnish companies and Finland’s economy, and thereby the well-being of citizens. On behalf of the entire Aalto community, I would like to warmly thank St1 for this significant donation and for their trust,’ says Aalto University President Ilkka Niemelä.
St1 is an energy transition company with the vision to be the leading producer and seller of CO₂-aware energy. St1 operates in Finland, Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
St1’s energy portfolio encompasses oil products, biogas, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), renewable diesel (HVO) and solar power. Furthermore, St1 is advancing various major energy transition projects, including transition investments at the oil refinery in Gothenburg. 
St1 has 1,150 retail stations in Finland, Sweden and Norway. St1’s retail network offers marketplaces with fuels, growing number of EV charging and biogas filling points for heavy-duty transport as well as car wash, alongside stand-alone convenience stores and restaurants. St1 employs more than 1,000 people.
Henrikki Talvitie CEO, St1 Nordic (contact: Liisa Joenpolvi Senior Advisor, Corporate Affairs St1 Nordic, tel. +358 50 411 0025)
Ilkka Niemelä
President, Aalto University
president@aalto.fi
Donations from ABB, Fortum, St1 and the Walter Ahlström Foundation will be used to establish new professorships. At the same time, the donations support the establishment of Aalto University House of Energy Transition.
The transition to clean energy is a societal transformation on the same scale as digitalisation, and Finland has many strengths to support it, says professor Annukka Santasalo-Aarnio, who leads Aalto University’s new competence centre, House of Energy Transition.
The donation will support the new competence centre, House of Energy Transition.
The donation is directed towards a new professorship, which will be part of the House of Energy Transition competence centre.
The donation will enable Aalto to establish a professorship in sustainable industrial production.
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