Estonia's first wind and solar hybrid park set to open on Global Wind Day
On Thursday June 15, Global Wind Day, Enefit Green's Purtse wind and solar hybrid park is set to be officially opened.
According to an Enefit Green press release, the hybrid plant, which is located in Purtse, Ida-Viru County, consists of a 21-megawatt (MW) wind park with five turbines and a 32 MW solar park with nearly 49,000 panels. The hybrid park will be able to provide an amount of electricity equivalent to that used by approximately 25,000 Estonian households each year.
The wind and solar parks are connected to the same grid connection point, with both parks utilizing the same equipment to supply electricity to the grid. By combining the variable electricity production from wind during fall and winter with solar production in spring and summer, the amount of electricity fed into the grid becomes more stable, and the connection is utilized more efficiently.
Aavo Kärmas, CEO of Enefit Green, emphasized the significance of the Purtse hybrid park, which features the first new and modern wind turbines to be installed in Estonia for a number of years. According to Kärmas, the unique hybrid solution allows for increased production capacity by utilizing the same grid connection. He added, that there is also the possibility of adding energy storage facilities in the future.
Kärmas further highlighted the speed at which renewable energy can be added to the market when necessary planning procedures are completed.
Within a year of the decision to start construction of the facility, the wind turbines were installed, and electricity began being produced. The development of the Purtse park became possible due to long-term electricity sales contracts, which provided Enefit Green with necessary investment security while also securing electricity prices for buyers for a decade, Kärmas said.
According to the press release, Enefit Green has invested nearly €47 million in the establishment of the Purtse hybrid park.
The Purtse wind park consists of five 150-meter Vestas wind turbines with a nominal capacity of 4.2 megawatts
The solar park covers an area of approximately 45 hectares and contains nearly 49,000 Yingli Solar panels with a nominal capacity of 655 watts. The Purtse solar park is the largest completed solar park Enefit Green has developed to date.
June 15 is Global Wind Day, an annual event aiming to raise awareness of the importance and potential of wind energy. Wind energy is one of the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective methods of electricity generation. Estonia's goal is to produce as much renewable electricity as it consumes by 2030, with wind energy playing a key role in the achievement of this aim.
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Editor: Michael Cole