Solar Power Investments Booming in Finland

01.08.2017

Small scale solar electricity production is growing fast in Finland. For example, electricity transmission company Caruna reports that already 707 solar energy systems have been linked to their network during the first seven months of 2017, when it took the whole year to reach that number in 2016.

Especially households are installing new systems and the growth has been 63 % from the turn of the year. Companies are also investing into new systems with a growth rate of 54 %. It has become easier to install systems, as panels which do not majorly affect cityspace or environment no longer require procedure permit from municipalities.

It is estimated that Finland had a solar power capacity of 20 MW in the end of 2016. The capacity over doubled when compared to 2015 figures. In addition there are solar thermal energy installations.

An example of companies activating with solar energy is food product company Atria which will invest into a first industrial scale solar farm to its Nurmo production plant. The farm will include 24 000 panels with an annual forecasted production of 5 600 MWh, which will cover about five percent of the plant’s energy need.

Another example of organizations investing in solar energy is University of Helsinki which will build a solar energy plant to the roof of its Viikki campus. The plant will consist of 3000 panels and the building will commence in the beginning of August. The investment cost is about €1.6 million and the plant will have a capacity of 1.2 MW when it is completed. It is estimated that the panels will provide four per cent of the annual electricity consumption of the campus. The Viikki campus already has a solar plant of 500 panels.

In addition to solar power, investments in renewable energy production such as wind farms, opening of a new nuclear plant and a new cross border transmission connection between Finland and Sweden have made the national high-voltage grid company Fingrid to invest into a fourth electricity transmission system from northern Finland to south of Finland. The value of the investment is €85 million and Fingrid also has a 1.2 billion investment program for the years 2015–2025. (Sources: Tekniikka ja Talous 25.1.2017, 31.1.2017 & 27.7.2017, FinSolar 17.3.2017)

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