Shopping centre Mylly produces renewable energy with solar panels on roof and wall surfaces
Responsibility actions unite Raisio-based Shopping Centre Mylly and its co-owner SOK. Sweco designed an extensive solar energy solution for the shopping centre, in which solar panels were placed on the south wall in addition to the roof. It optimizes energy production at different times of the year.
Shopping centre Mylly in Raisio is the largest shopping centre in Southwest Finland. The special purpose vehicle, owned by SOK and Turun Osuuskauppa, takes responsibility issues seriously and actively seeks opportunities for new responsibility actions. This is evidenced by the LEED Gold environmental certification, for example. There is also a desire to utilise solar energy.
“S Group has many sustainability targets, such as a 90 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030*, so it is natural to also strive to increase self-sufficient and local electricity production,” says Jani Vitikka, Energy Manager at SOK Kiinteistöässä.
Real estate professionals’ trusted partner in energy solutions
Sweco was chosen as the design partner for the solar energy solution, which Vitikka describes as SOK’s trusted factor. “Sweco is a familiar choice for S Group’s real estate professionals, and even now we got people on board who sorted out all the things that worried us for us.”
In particular, Vitikka appreciated proactive suggestions on what the different options cost and how they relate to the shopping centre’s energy consumption. Mari Hantula, Managing Director of Shopping Centre Mylly, also had good memories of Sweco. “Sweco was our project partner when a cinema was completed in the shopping centre in 2022.”
Sweco was responsible for the design of the solar energy solution from the preliminary study to the implementation of the contract. “Sweco played a particularly important role in a situation where we were left without a property manager in the middle of the project,” Hantula says. The project went according to plan from start to finish with Energio, which also supplied the solar panels, and contractor Rakennustoimisto Jussie.
Wall installation of solar panels optimizes electricity production
During the preliminary study, Sweco’s experts noticed that although there was plenty of roof area, its load-bearing capacity was not sufficient for solar panels at every point. It was decided to install 1193 panels on the roof, after which the possibility of wall mounting was studied.
“We used our own structural designer to assess the load-bearing capacity of three different wall structure types,” says Elis Petäjä, Energy Specialist at Sweco. The exact wall plan included the load-bearing capacity of the different wall types and the best ways to set up the panels. “After that, we estimate the size of the solar power plant, the locations of the inverters and the electrotechnical line routes.”
Petäjä thanks the customer for their courage in taking advantage of wall panels. According to Vitikka, S Group does not want to get bogged down in formulas. “We see new things as an opportunity, which is probably one of the reasons why S Group is Finland’s largest producer of solar energy.”
Solar panels also raise the appearance of the façade
854 panels were installed on the south-facing façade of the shopping centre over a distance of approximately 500 metres. The solution is one of Finland’s largest solar panel wall installations. According to Petäjä, the different yield profiles of ceiling and wall panels support each other, because on summer days the ceiling panels produce the most, but in spring, autumn and winter it is the turn of wall panels.
“Wall mounting is often a profitable option that, together with roof-mounted panels, guarantees a more consistent yield at different times of the day and all year round.”
The production from the solar panels goes entirely to the shopping centre’s own use, and according to Vitikka, it has met expectations in roof installations. “Next, we will also be monitoring the wall panels, the output of which we expect especially when the sun starts to shine lower.”