Mika Korkeakoski
Project manager
Researcher info
Institution
University of Turku
Department/faculty
Finland Futures Research Centre
Contact information
mika.korkeakoski@utu.fi
+358443333275
Keywords
access to energy adaptation capacity building clean development mechanisms (CDM) clean water treatment solutions climate change climate change and environmental education climate change impacts climate change mitigation climate funding climate mitigation climate policies CO2 emissions efficiency energy access energy and forest sectors energy and forestry energy efficiency energy planning environmental education environmental impacts equity global economic structures Green Economy household energy consumption least developed countries modelling natural resources poverty reduction reduced deforestation renewable energy renewable energy education renewable energy technologies rural energy sustainable development sustainable development. sustainable energy sustainable energy education sustainable energy planning sustainlability training of the trainers approach transitional countries voluntary development mechanisms (VDM) water management
Research projects
The concept of green economy is predicted to replace sustainable development as the new driving force of environmental action. A green economy is defined as low-carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. Although the concept has received various critics, there is little empirical research related to its policy expectations or concerns. Developing countries rich in natural resources, such as Cambodia and Laos, may be able to benefit from green growth by having the opportunity to jump-start their transition towards a green economy. This project proposes a new framework to analyse green growth transitions in Cambodia and Laos and other developing countries in two extremely natural resource dependent sectors; forestry and energy.
Team
Jyrki Luukkanen (FFRC), Visa Tuominen (FFRC), Mika Korkeakoski (FFRC), Markku Kanninen (VITRI), Dipjoy Chakma (VITRI), Mira Käkönen (UH)
The project will aim to enhance the capacity of partner HEIs to be more responsive to labour market needs and increase the capability of partner HEIs to contribute to the respective national plans and regional co-operation in energy efficiency, access and sustainability. The project will employ a “training of trainers” approach, targeting academic staff, PhD Students and administrative staff in management and finance in order to facilitate increased capacities in curricula development particularly for the BSc and MSc programmes offered by the partner HEIs. Trainings will focus on i) energy efficiency (modelling, renewable energy technical efficiency, system level efficiency) and ii) energy access (pricing in the Caribbean context and governance issues).
Team
Jyrki Luukkanen, Mika Korkeakoski, Timo Nurmi
SUCCEED is a capacity building project which seeks to enhance and promote climate change, environmental and renewable energy education, research, and development. The overall objective of SUCCEED is that the partner countries are able to train and educate national experts capable of advocating national and international climate change policy and renewable energy promotion from the perspective of the least developed countries, especially with regards to: climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, climate finance, energy policy and renewable energy technology. Other objectives include improved skills of teaching staff to ensure successful implementation of climate change and renewable energy education in energy, and environmental degree programmes, improved research and pedagogical skills, improved facilities at ITC, NUOL, RUPP & YTU and promotion of networking and cooperation with national and international institutions and stakeholders.
Team
Jyrki Luukkanen, Mika Korkeakoski, Visa Tuominen
The primary aim of the project is climate change mitigation and reduced deforestation through the provision of low cost water purification technologies to the rural poor. At the same time, the project will sustainably scale up, through carbon finance, the production and dissemination of low-cost clean water treatment solutions to poor households in Cambodia and Lao PDR. The local supply chains of the two carbon projects by Hydrologic Social Enterprise and Terra Clear will be strengthened and the projects will be developed into Gold Standard projects for voluntary carbon markets (VCM). Targeted customers are rural households who currently have no or only a partial access to clean water. Ceramic water purifiers are able to provide a number of co benefits to end users (including the adaptive capacity of end users to climate change) and throughout the supply chain. The project aims to ensure these co-benefits are also realised. The scaling up and sustainable mass dissemination activities will be complemented by a research report prepared by Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC).
Team
FFRC-Jyrki Luukkanen, Kamilla Karhunmaa, Visa Tuominen, Outi Pitkänen Nexus- Jo Hazelwood Hydrologic- Rachel Pringle TerraClear- Nathan Cole
RECLAIM project analyses the opportunities and challenges that emerge when climate change initiatives are introduced in the least developed countries, specifically herein Laos and Cambodia. The research examines whether it is possible to simultaneously pursue development, mitigation and adaptation and how this will affect to poor and vulnerable groups. The aim is to identify and analyse the drivers, actors and institutions that influence climate compatible development. The research addresses these questions through quantitative analysis of energy-economic systems and development pathways as well as qualitative research on the actors and forces shaping climate policies. The aim of the quantitative analysis is to provide useful information for future planning through defining a framework within which the future energy needs and related climate policies can be assessed.
Team
Jyrki Luukkanen (FFRC), Visa Tuominen (FFRC), Mira Käkönen (FFRC), Jarmo Vehmas (FFRC), Louis Lebel (USER), Dany Va (RUPP), Try Thuon (RUPP), Ponlok Tin (MoE), Khampone Nathavong (NUOL), Saykham Voladet (NERI), Noora Stenholm (FFRC)
CHEC project concentrated on the very topical issue of climate change and its evident impacts on the economic structures especially in the context of China and the European Union. The objective of the research was to analyse the impacts of climate change on the global economic structures and financing mechanism from the point of view of China and EU. The spill over effects of these changes are relevant for assessing the accumulated impacts of climate change. These were profoundly analysed in the CHEC project. The project relied on the following hypotheses; (i) climate change will have an impact on the global economic structures and financing mechanisms; (ii) the impacts depend on the mitigation and adaptation policies worldwide; (iii) climate change impacts in China and EU have impacts on the global economic structures and mechanisms, and vice versa; (iv) these can be studied using global system models; (v) better understanding of emission trends, driving forces and policies in both regions help to build cooperation and put forward international climate processes.
Team
Jyrki Luukkanen (FFRC), Jarmo Vehmas (FFRC), Jari Kaivo-Oja (FFRC), Burkhard Auffermann (FFRC), Barry Hughes (Univ. of Denver), Outi Luova (Univ. of Turku), Juha Panula-Ontto (FFRC), Pertti Suomela (FFRC), Chen Ying (CASS), Wang Mou (CASS), Liao Maolin (CASS), Zhang Ying (CASS), Xiong Jianbin (CASS)
The overall objective of the project was to contribute to sustainable energy planning through improved energy related knowledge and expertise in the target countries, Laos and Cambodia. The purpose of the project was to enhance and promote sustainable energy education, research and development at the Faculty of Engineering at NUOL, and Department of Electrical and Energy Engineering at ITC. The identification of capacity building activities was guided by the objective to provide improved expertise relevant for both Cambodian and Laotian energy policies and labour markets, as well as to respond to the specific needs of NUOL and ITC. The project also supported the development of Bsc and Msc programs in renewable energy education in both universities. On top of these, the project also aimed to improve the teaching skills, administrative, organisational and intellectual skills of the university staff. Using the acquired knowledge and skills of teachers can foster the renewal of administrative structures and organisational activities.
Team
Jyrki Luukkanen (FFRC), Visa Tuominen (FFRC)), Tytti Pasanen (FFRC), Erno Lehtinen (UTU), Yrjö Majanne (TUT), Juha Leppänen (Tamlink Ltd.), Norith Phol (ITC), Khamphone Nanthavong (NUOL), Orkide Akgün (FFRC)
Access to Sustainable Energy for All project was implemented by a consortium of seven organizations and research centres in nine countries across Europe. Between 2011 and 2014 the FFRC research team conducted case studies in Finland, the Mekong region and Cuba in order to examine the drivers of energy futures in the target countries and the alternatives that are needed to make them equitable and sustainable. The question of how to provide clean, accessible and affordable energy for all is far from straightforward. Especially those in poorer countries across the Global South lack opportunities to benefit from such luxury. The project aimed at enhancing local understanding and raise awareness among the European public about the importance of ensuring such energy sources, and also about the role of EU financing policies concerning this issue. On FFRC’s part, the project included a capacity building component to enhance local abilities, and also produced two reports about the matter to stimulate public debate and instigate initiatives to promote a shift in policies and practices.
Team
Jyrki Luukkanen, Mira Käkönen, Hanna Kaisti, Joni Karjalainen, Jarmo Vehmas
The INES project concentrated on energy related data collection and sustainable energy planning in one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, Lao PDR (or Laos).The purpose of INES project was to (i) collect data on households energy consumption patterns and the impact on livelihoods; (ii) collect data on energy use in industry, agriculture and transportation; (iii) develop energy plannig models for Lao PDR with different relevant ministries; (iv) carry out training and capacity building in energy models development and their use in national planning and; (v) create scenarios for planning purposes together with ministry representatives, and disseminate the information with the aim in raising awareness and support in sustainable policy making. The overall aim of the project was to improve the access to renewable energy in Laos.
Team
Jyrki Luukkanen (FFRC), Hanna Lakkala (FFRC), Mika Korkeakoski (FFRC), Juha Panula-Ontto (FFRC), Tytti Pasanen (FFRC), Visa Tuominen (FFRC), Khamso Kouphokam (MEM), Bouasavanh Khanthapat (NUOL), Ilkka Keskiväli (FFRC), Orkide Akgün (FFRC), Dorn Bouttasing (FFRC)
The COOL project aimed to identify capacity development needs, provide practical policy recommendations and analyse the role of these initiatives in Finnish development policy, while keeping in mind the targets of sustainability, poverty reduction and equity. As it is likely that both global and national climate funding will increase in the future, it was important to analyse the impacts and obstacles of these, and means to improve implementation. The project included five case studies and data collection trips in Laos and Cambodia in 2010 and 2011, and two disseminating workshops, one in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and another one in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Also a final dissemination event was held in Finland to report the concluding outputs of the project.
Team
Jyrki Luukkanen, Mira Käkönen, Visa Tuominen, Otto Bruun, Kamilla Karhunmaa, Hanna Kaisti, Douangta Buaphavong, Sithong Thongmanivong, Try Thuon, Ponlok Tin
The DREAM project aimed to (i) develop multi-disciplinary methodology to analyse renewable energy projects design, implementation, finance and influence on communities; (ii) build up knowledge on the various positive and negative impacts the renewable energy projects have especially at the village level; (iii) improve understanding of qualifications, such as success factors and reasons for failures, of renewable energy projects and; (iv) identify concrete means to increase long-term sustainability of donor-driven energy projects.
Team
Jyrki Luukkanen (FFRC), Mira Käkönen (FFRC), Hanna Kaisti (FFRC), Mika Korkeakoski (FFRC), Ronny Om (ITC), Khampone Nanthavong (NUOL)
The ICI-CAMBODIA project aimed to increase the capacity and substance knowledge of local teaching and researcher staff at ITC in the field of renewable energy education and energy efficiency. The university level education in renewable energy in Cambodia is lacking human and equipment resources, yet the capacity of ITC, the leading university providing such education, is inadequate to respond to the national needs. The project objective was to support a new group of local experts to promote social and environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation in national energy planning.
Team
Jyrki Luukkanen (FFRC), Venla Kinnunen (FFRC), Jari Kaivo-Oja (FFRC), Mika Korkeakoski (FFRC), Romny Om (ITC), Davin Uy (ITC), Phol Norith (ITC), Yrjö Majanne (TUT), Juha Leppänen (Tamlink Ltd.), Suvisanna Mustonen (TUT)
The objective of institutional partnership stemmed from the need for capacity building in the field of energy and environmental education in the Faculty of Engineering in the National University of Laos. Networking between teachers and researchers in Laos and Finland has provided possibilities for improved curriculum development and exchange of expertise within a new Sustainable Energy Futures Programme.
Team
Jyrki Luukkanen (FFRC), Venla Kinnunen (FFRC), Jari Kaivo-Oja (FFRC), Mika Korkeakoski (FFRC), Khampone Nanthavong (NUOL), Sengraty Kythavone (NUOL), Xayphone Houngboungnouang (NUOL), Yrjö Majanne (TUT), Juha Leppänen (Tamlink Ltd.), Suvisanna Mustonen (TUT)
In terms of social wellbeing and economic activity, Lao PDR is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia. Yet it is rich in terms of natural resources and holds a huge potential in renewable energy sector. FREPLA project incorporates resource development view point into a single research and development (R&D) set-up. The project aimed at identifying interlinkages, barriers, trade-offs and synergies in using the full potential of rural energy resources and applying holistic water management in national strategic planning. The key message of the project was that it is necessary to assure that the Mekong and its ecosystem services (including national and regional agri- and aquaculture) are not excessively distrubed by hydropower or any other natural resource projects, such as mining.
Team
Jari Kaivo-Oja (FFRC), Sari Jusi (FFRC), Jyrki Luukkanen (FFRC), Khamso Kouphokham (MEM)