Largest solar park in Baltics to open in Lääne County this summer
This summer, Sunly, the largest solar park in the Baltics, at a cost of over €120 million, is due to start operating in Risti, Lääne County. A battery park costing a similar amount is also to be built nearby in 2027.
The 250-hectare Sunly solar park in Lääne County will contain 350,000 solar panels. It took several thousand truckloads to transport them all to the site.
Installation of the panels began just under a year ago, and around 40 percent have now been installed. All are expected to be in place by August.
The 244-megawatt solar park could cover the annual consumption of 55,000 households. However, production cannot be consistent throughout the whole year, with the winter months accounting for only 5 percent of total annual production.
Sunly estimates that the €120 million solar park will be profitable if it manages to target peak consumption times in the morning and evening.
To maximize energy absorbed from the sun, the panels in the park are movable. They start on one side in the morning and finish on the other side in the evening.
"Many solar parks in the Baltics are built facing south. They are designed to be controllable. In other words, they follow the sun from east to west throughout the day. As a result, the percentage of production increases significantly," said Priit Lepasepp, CEO of Sunly.
Next to the solar park, there will also be a battery park, which is due to be completed next year and, based on the latest information, may also cost €120 million.
Both the solar and battery parks will be built without state support.
"This park is capable of storing its entire output in batteries for four hours and supplying it to the grid at times when consumers need it most. If you look at the price curves, the morning and evening peak times, when consumers use the most electricity, are also when the price of electricity is highest," Lepasepp said.
Estonia has experienced a real solar energy boom in recent years. Elering's data shows that in 2019, 42 megawatts of solar panels were connected to the grid. Currently, there is over 1,200 megawatts of solar capacity on the grid, with the Risti park adding a large amount to that. On a calm summer's day, solar energy could cover consumption for the whole of Estonia.
Ivo Palu, director of the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), said that new large solar parks may not be added.
"We are clearly at the peak. The question now is whether we will stay where we are or whether there will be more solar power. I personally believe there definitely will be more solar power. It will come to homes and it will come to zero-energy buildings, where it is mandatory. The question is whether we will see any more really large solar parks if they cannot find major partners to take them on," said Palu.
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Editor: Valner Väino, Michael Cole
Source: "Aktuaalne kaamera"
