Oomi Solar has built Finland’s first solar farm connected directly to district heating in Ruotsinoja, Liminka. Oulun Seudun Sähkö aims to make its district heat production carbon neutral.
“In practice, the electricity generated by the farm is used by the heat pumps and electric boilers of the adjacent heating plant, which heat the district heating network,” says Matias Ristimella, project manager at Oomi.
The Ruotsinoja solar farm has a significant impact on promoting carbon-neutral district heating. The farm, consisting of nearly 14,000 solar panels, is part of a larger green transition project in Liminka that promotes the implementation of the objectives of the municipality’s climate and environmental programme.
“The solar farm has a capacity of 9.5 MWp, and its annual production corresponds to the average annual consumption of approximately 500 electrically heated detached houses,” Ristimella explains.
The solar farm has a capacity of 9.5 MWp, and its annual production corresponds to the average annual consumption of approximately 500 electrically heated detached houses.
A sensible investment in an optimal location
The solar farm was built near the electrical substation and heating plant. In addition to electricity and district heating network connections, the choice of location took into account landscape and nature-related values.
“The proximity enables efficient integration into the rest of the energy system, i.e. district heating production. The good location makes the investment smart and profitable,” Ristimella sums up.
The Ruotsinoja solar farm is an innovative and replicable solution, which has earned Oulun Seudun Sähkö NextGeneration EU funding for the project. This funding supports the green transition and digitalisation, among other things.
Project completed on schedule
The expertise of Oomi Solar’s project team was reflected in their meticulous planning and foresight. Their careful planning ensured that, despite temporary delays in component deliveries, the project was completed on schedule. Cooperation with local residents also went well. People living in the Ruotsinoja area rented land and storage space and helped with transporting goods and felling wood.
“This project was very interesting from a professional point of view because of its innovative nature. It was exhilarating to see how the plans that had been sketched out on the computer for so long took shape and came to life when the groundwork began in spring 2024 and the first panels were installed later in the summer,” Ristimella says.
Alliance cooperation continues in Northern Finland
Oomi Solar and Oulun Seudun Sähkö are jointly developing a significant solar power and renewable energy area in Northern Finland. The cooperation includes finding suitable locations for solar farms, obtaining permits and planning.
“The Ruotsinoja project is the first in a cooperation agreement between Oulun Seudun Sähkö and Oomi Solar, which covers a total of 100 MW of solar power,” says Ristimella.
The Ruotsinoja solar farm was built for Oulun Seudun Sähkö under an alliance agreement, with Oomi Solar responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of the farm. According to life cycle thinking, the package includes a review and analysis of the entire life cycle of the solar farm from the perspectives of environmental impact, costs and energy efficiency. This approach takes into account all stages from the design to the dismantling of the power plant and the recycling of materials.
The Ruotsinoja solar farm was built for Oulun Seudun Sähkö under an alliance agreement, with Oomi Solar responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of the farm.