Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Finnish: Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu, TAMK) is a university of applied sciences (a polytechnic) in the region of Pirkanmaa, Finland. Together with Tampere University, TAMK constitutes the Tampere higher education community.Founded in 1996, TAMK merged with the Pirkanmaa University of Applied Sciences in 2010. Its campuses are located in Tampere, Ikaalinen, Mänttä-Vilppula and Virrat.TAMK's main campus is located in the city of Tampere, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) away from the city centre. There are three other smaller campuses in Tampere: Mediapolis, Music Academy, and Proakatemia.TAMK has almost 10,000 students divided among over 40 degree programmes, of which seven are conducted in English.
This paper presents qualitative validation of a sustainability procurement model, concludes about companies’ different maturity levels in pursuing and reporting sustainability and suggests that in the future, SMEs should take advantage of digitalization to improve the possibilities for collecting data for calculation and reducing emissions, e.g., in the framework of industry 4.0 / 5.0. The research paper studies how Finnish manufacturing SMEs (N = 8) respond to the requirements of current and tightening sustainability regulations with special focus on procurement practices and guidelines. The methodology consists of self-assessment of companies (N = 8, pre-questionnaire), semi-structured interviews (N = 8), and thematic analysis of the qualitive data. The study revealed that sustainability guidelines for procurement are not commonly used, and sustainability is not a priority procurement criterion. This was found when current practices and guidelines of the companies were compared in interviews to a literature-based six-phase ideal model of a sustainable procurement process. The most important driver for sustainability and CSRD Scope reporting is requirements by owner or client, and it was also the best recognized regulation. The main barrier in SMEs in voluntary reporting or ambitious calculation of emissions is lack of resources although pursuing sustainability is seen valuable.
Palveluohjauksella on merkittävä asema muuttuvassa sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon palvelujärjestelmässä (myöh. sote-palvelut), joka on pitkälti määrittynyt paikallisesti ja tilallisesti uudelleen hyvinvointialueiden aloitettua toimintansa vuonna 2023. Tutkimukset osoittavat, että ikääntyneiden palvelupolut ovat vaihtelevia ja alueellisesti palvelujärjestelmien käytännöt eivät ole yhdenmukaisia (ks. mm. Sinkkonen & Vasara, 2025; Sinkkonen ym., 2026). Ikääntyneiden ja heidän läheistensä voi olla vaikeaa hahmottaa sitä, millaista apua ja tukea on saatavilla sekä miltä tahoilta palveluita voi saada. Nämä vaikeudet ovat näkyneet myös julkisuudessa, esimerkiksi keskusteluissa päivystysjonoista. Tämä lisää entisestään painetta kehittää ikääntyneiden palvelutarpeen arviointia ja palveluja sekä palveluohjausta siten, että jokaiselle voidaan turvata tarkoituksenmukaista tukea ja hoivaa. Tämä ikääntyneiden palveluohjausta tutkiva hanke (myöh. IPO-hanke) sijoittuu sosiaalipoliittisesti merkittävään muutosvaiheeseen. Tutkimus tuottaa uutta tietoa sote-palvelujen ja sosiaalityön työmenetelmistä, niiden vaikutuksista ja asiakasturvallisista palvelukokonaisuuksista, joita voidaan hyödyntää asiakas- ja kehitystyössä sekä päätöksenteossa.
The rapid growth of photovoltaic (PV) systems has altered electricity market dynamics through increasing midday price depressions associated with the so-called “duck curve” phenomenon. Consequently, the economic performance of PV systems depends increasingly on the temporal alignment between production, consumption, and electricity prices. This study examines how evolving hourly electricity price profiles have influenced the economically optimal orientation of residential PV systems in Finnish detached houses. The analysis combines measured hourly electricity consumption data from 22 households with simulated PV production profiles derived from PVGIS data (2012–2023) and historical electricity prices from 2020 to 2025. PV production was simulated for system orientations ranging from 45° east to 45° west in 5° increments for four typical system sizes (3–12 kWp), and annual savings were calculated by combining hourly production, consumption, and spot price data. The results indicate a gradual eastward shift in the economically optimal orientation, particularly in 2025, reflecting increasing price differences between morning and midday hours, although the economic impact remains limited (below 0.3%).
As power-based distribution tariffs become common, residential customers are incentivized to reduce individual peak demand. However, the system-level benefit of uncoordinated peak shaving remains uncertain. This paper quantifies how individual peak reductions translate to aggregated grid-level demand. Using hourly smart meter data from Finnish detached houses, individual apartments, and building-level common loads, modified consumption profiles were simulated by clipping individual demands to $\mathbf{7 0 \%, ~} \mathbf{8 0 \%}$, and $\mathbf{9 0 \%}$ of their annual and monthly peaks. Monte Carlo simulations were then applied to evaluate the coincident peak demand of randomized groups ranging from 1 to 100 customers. Results demonstrate that while individual clipping reduces aggregated demand for small groups, this benefit diminishes rapidly as group size increases due to the natural diversity in consumption timing. These findings provide critical insights for distribution system operators designing cost-reflective tariffs and managing future grid capacity.
