Solar energy creates industry in Finland
SUNVOIMA OY Sunvoima Oy is in the process of developing Finland’s first solar power plant.Only a fraction of the world’s entire energy production is generated with solar power, but the sector is growing annually by 30 per cent. World’s solar power production has been taken furthest in Germany, where solar energy plants generate an equal amount of electricity as two nuclear power plants altogether.
– In Germany the estimation is that in the near future the photovoltaic industry will bypass the country’s automotive industry. At the moment the biggest solar power plants scale up to hundred megawatts. A 2000 megawatt solar power plant is already planned for China.
– It would make a great difference if the government supported solar energy also in Finland, and we could create an export industry for solar energy. I believe that attitudes will start becoming more positive.
Enough sunshine in Finland
Although an uncommon fact to many, Finland gets a plenty of sunshine.
– The solar radiation we receive in Finland is on the same level with northern Germany. Radiation in Kotka is pretty much the same as in Hamburg, if not better.
The forthcoming solar power plant of Sunvoima Oy brings Finland to the European solar energy map. The construction work has been planned for this year, which means that energy production will start in spring 2011.
The plant’s planned nominal capacity is one megawatt, which requires a hectare-size solar panel. The company is currently negotiating the final location of the power plant. About twenty promising locations have been located in Southern Finland.
– We have stirred up a plenty of interest in people, and the plant will eventually serve as a local sight, which will also attract other business and related activities.
Reducing our carbon footprint
Established in 2009, Sunvoima has started selling production shares to companies and private people. A share consists of a bundle of hundred watts, and it costs 600 Euros.
– We want to offer everyone a chance to take part in reducing our carbon footprint and utilizing clean solar energy. Each watt added to the solar power plant reduces our carbon footprint by a kilogram every year.
Modern technology already enables private households to switch to solar power. Sunvoima installs a solar panel on the roof of the house and a miniature power plant on the yard, which is then connected to the grid. Attenberg is testing the system also in his own home.
– Although solar energy doesn’t cover our electricity needs entirely, it has a huge significance. A two-kilowatt mini-system can generate about 20 per cent of one’s energy needs. It’s all about choices. Choosing solar energy is an environmental act.
SO-M
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