Finland plans to build 100MW large-scale photovoltaic power station

    According to a document issued by the municipality, Finnish energy company EPV Energ is planning to build an 80-100MW off grid solar kit system photovoltaic power plant in the town of Lapua in South Ostrobothnia.

    The plant will occupy 140 hectares of waste peat land and the group ’s EPV Bioturve Oy department will replace the peat power generation facility. Peat power generation accounts for about 4% of Finland's total power generation. Its pollution is more serious than coal-fired power generation, and its carbon dioxide emissions are more than twice that of natural gas.

    The proposed solar project will consist of 463,680 solar panels and will be connected to the Lapua-Sänkiaho 110 kV grid. It is unclear whether the project has any subsidies, or whether it intends to sell electricity on the spot market, or sign a private electricity purchase agreement with an energy contractor to sell electricity.

    According to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency, the project will be the largest photovoltaic project in Finland so far. As of the end of last year, the installed capacity of solar energy in Finland was 205 MW.

    In addition, the Finnish marine and energy company Wärtsilä and the municipal energy company Vantaa Energy have announced plans to build Finland's first electricity-to-gas facility, using carbon dioxide emissions and electricity from a waste power plant owned by Vantaa Energy to produce "carbon neutral" synthetic biogas.

    The two companies are about to conduct a feasibility study on the project. Wärtsilä said, "Once confirmed to be feasible, both parties will continue to cooperate in the development of this project and build it as a commercial-scale pilot project." The synthetic biogas produced will be used to replace natural gas for central heating and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from Vantaa Energy.

    A recent study jointly released by German transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT and Dutch gas infrastructure and transmission company Gasunie emphasizes the importance of electricity-to-gas networking to help meet EU climate change goals. The report highlights the role of electricity-to-gas in further promoting renewable energy power generation, including the impact on seasonal supply and demand. The two companies have jointly developed a 100 MW electricity-to-gas pilot project in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany.