Alpha Backaplan, a new mixed-use development in Gothenburg, is setting a new standard for climate-smart construction with a fully electric integrated energy system by Energy Machines. Powered by geothermal heat pumps, high-efficiency heat recovery, and advanced controls, the system eliminates emissions while efficiently providing year-round heating, cooling, and domestic hot water. By replacing the originally planned district heating and cooling with an integrated geothermal solution, Skandia Fastigheter is reducing energy use and emissions significantly, and contributing to Backaplan’s broader transformation into a sustainable, healthy urban district.
Customer: Skandia Fastigheter
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Sector: Mixed-use (residential, retail, grocery)
Floor area: 36,000 m²
Project type: Energy Machines™ IntegratedEnergy System with BTES
Heating capacity: 650 kW
Cooling capacity: 310 kW
Purchased energy (in the form of electricity): 9,3 kWh/m2 annually for heating, cooling, and domestic hot water
Energy savings: 74% less energy used compared to district heating and cooling (960 MWh/year savings)
CO₂ emissions avoided: 80 tons/year
Alpha Backaplan is part of the first phase in Skandia Fastigheter's large-scale redevelopment of Gothenburg’s Backaplan district. With 7,000 new homes, offices, shops, and public amenities planned, Backaplan is envisioned as a vibrant, climate-smart district for future generations.
The Alpha development includes two new buildings:
• Building 1 features ground-floor retail (including Elgiganten and Apoteket Kronan), a Coop grocery store, and seven upper floors of rental apartments.
• Building 3 consists of apartments and a three-story mobility building with parking and bike storage.
Beyond energy performance, the project demonstrates a commitment to circular construction. The use of reclaimed bricks in the building façades prevented roughly 210 tons of embodied CO₂.
Originally, Alpha was planned to use traditional district heating and cooling. However, following a Pre-Study by Energy Machines, Skandia chose to pivot toward a geothermal solution that reduces dependence on combustion-based systems while eliminating local CO₂ emissions.
The Energy Machines™ Integrated Energy System combines heating, cooling, and domestic hot water into one unified solution. At its core is a Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) field, which transforms the earth as a battery for thermal energy. Heat from summer and waste heat from the building is stored underground for use in winter, while winter's cold is stored for cooling during summer. Alpha’s BTES field is comprised of 31 boreholes, each ~300 meters deep, drilled next to the building and partially under the residential building floor.
This thermal exchange is made even more efficient through the integration of a Climate Machines air-handling unit, which recovers up to 90% of waste heat from building exhaust air and converts it into clean, usable heating. Together with advanced system controls, this setup maximizes efficiency year-round and minimizes energy waste.
“An integrated energy system allows us to make use of the energy already present in the building, wherever it provides the greatest benefit at the time. Every kWh we avoid adding to the building is the best saving we can achieve, both for the climate and for operating costs. The system provides us with a fossil-free energy supply and a level of independence in the building’s energy management that, for example, district heating and district cooling cannot match," said Henrik Pihlblad, Head of Technology Development and Operational Risk and Security at Skandia Fastigheter AB.
The Energy Machines™ Integrated Energy System includes:
• Geothermal energy storage via a Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) field
• Energy Machines™ heat pumps, delivering 650 kW of heating and 310 kW of cooling
• Climate Machines air-handling unit with 20 m³/s capacity and high-efficiency heat recovery
• Energy Machines™ Control integration to optimize performance across seasons
The system provides all heating, cooling, and domestic hot water for the property while significantly lowering the building’s operational carbon footprint.
By shifting away from combustion-based district heating and cooling and opting for an electric Energy Machines™ Integrated Energy System, Alpha achieves:
These results position Alpha as one of the most energy-efficient new developments in the region, while serving as a model for practical decarbonization in urban settings.
