Energy community attracts new operators to Pirkanmaan Portti in Valkeakoski
The city of Valkeakoski is developing the Pirkanmaan Portti industrial area into an energy community, witch attracts companies with locally produced renewable energy in addition to its easy-access location. Produced renewable electricity is intended to be stored in batteries, which generates income even before the energy community is formed.
The city of Valkeakoski has over 80 hectares of pre-zoned business plots along the Helsinki-Tampere highway at the southern junction of Valkeakoski. Pirkanmaan Portti industrial area’s new drawcard is planned to be locally produced renewable energy at a competitive price, in addition to its excellent location.
“Renewable energy is of interest to local companies due to the green transition, and we are constantly asked about solar power and batteries”, says Timo Kärkkäinen, Director of Economic Development at the City of Valkeakoski. “Also, energy communities that produce the energy they need themselves are an attractive option.”
According to the city’s Climate Expert Ossi Kekin, the development of the business area based on renewable energy stems from the city’s climate work. Valkeakoski, Akaa, Pälkäne, and Urjala have a shared climate program. “All are also part of Towards Carbon Neutral Municipalities network HINKU, aiming to reduce 2007 level emissions by 80 percent by 2030.”
Funding was sought for the development of Pirkanmaan Portti from the European City Facility program (EUCF), which supports the planning of municipal climate and energy investments. Obtaining funding required technical knowledge and calculations for various options, and Valkeakoski turned to Sweco’s energy experts for this.
Sweco’s project manager Elis Petäjä suggested a two-phase approach because when discussing solar power plants, land use and environmental impacts are always considered. “It’s not wise to rush into technical reviews; economically, it’s better to first map out the conditions and possible challenges for utilizing solar energy.”
Suitable location and infrastructure for the energy community
When no obstacles were found for the implementation of the energy community, Petäjä recommended the next phase with a good conscience, where the technical implementation of various options was assessed interdisciplinarily. “We formed a team with experts specializing in solar electricity, battery systems, geo and electrical engineering, land use, stormwater management, and environmental impacts.”
Advantages of Pirkanmaan Portti, according to him, include the land ownership being entirely with the City of Valkeakoski. A sufficient electricity connection is also available at the edge of the plot, and the electricity company is planning a network expansion. “This supports the development of the area for decades to come.”
The heart of the solar electricity system: batteries
The study focused on solar electricity and batteries supporting its utilization, and two suitable sites for the solar power plant were found in the area. Petäjä describes the electricity storage system as the heart of the energy community. Thanks to the batteries, solar electricity is available even in the evening.
“When the battery system is implemented as a modular container solution, it doesn’t require a separate building, but the system can be quickly brought to the area and expanded as needed just as quickly.”
In the second phase of the study, other forms of energy were also explored, but the winds in the area are not sufficient for utilizing wind power. The location is also far from the district heating network. “This excludes energy systems based on the utilization of residual heat, such as small nuclear power plants, biomass, and hydrogen,” Petäjä explains.
According to Kärkkäinen, the study was an eye-opening learning process for the urban organization, benefiting more broadly than just one area. “During the project, it became clearer to us what requirements solar and wind energy utilization set for urban areas.”
The solar electricity system generates income immediately
According to calculations, the area is suitable for approximately 2.2 megawatt solar power plant, which includes over 3,000 solar panels. This is a lot compared to plants serving individual factory buildings but little relative to solar parks connected directly to the national power grid.
“The best news for the client was that the solar electricity system with the batteries generates income immediately, not just after the energy community is formed,” Petäjä explains. Solar energy stored in the batteries can be sold to the national power grid or the batteries can be charged during surplus generation. “The area can thus participate in demand response and power grid balancing.”
Profitability increases when industrial plants and offices consuming electricity are brought to the area. “The estimated annual consumption of 9,000 megawatt-hours requires a couple of larger electricity consumers or 15 smaller ones, i.e., the size of the operators is not restricted in any way,” Petäjä says.
Representatives from the city and companies building solar power and battery systems were invited to the report’s release event. For Kärkkäinen, it was important to directly ask questions to various experts. “We also received a ready concept with which to start negotiations with companies interested in the area.”
Kekin is also pleased that the project did not stop with the completion of the study. “We received a clear continuation plan, which we are now starting to concretely advance.”
Image source: City of Valkeakoski