Solar PV from a Local Source
#MoveTheDate Solutions
Personal / Community: Community project
Energy sub-category: Power generation
Description: Kalmar can look back at its long-standing history of community energy projects. In 2006, Kalmar Energi initiated and implemented its first collectively-owned wind energy project. Back then, Kalmar Energi invited its customers to buy shares in the wind project and form a cooperative called Kalmarsund Vind. One decade after this first cooperative project, Kalmar Energi used this setup once again when facilitating the Nöbble Solpark and Törneby Solpark projects. In August 2016, the Nöbble Solpark started operation with solar panels on the roof of a recently built barn.The roof of the constructed barn offered a prime location for solar panels as it covers an area of 3.900 m2. It produces roughly 600.000 kWh/a. After the project in Nöbble, Kalmar Energi implemented a bigger follow-up project. The Törneby Solpark is located on land on the local airport. It covers a surface of 15.000 m2 and produces an estimated 2.300.000 kWh/a. The most obvious benefit of the project is the production of renewable energy. As mentioned above, the project did not bring big economic gains to Kalmar Energi. However, the project helped to establish a strong green local brand. This helped to strengthen the relationship between the company and its customers. For the customers of Kalmar Energi,the project opened up the possibility to become a prosumer in a very easy way, even if the project did not present a great investment in purely economic terms.
Website about this solution: http://co2mmunity.eu/outputs/community-energy-cases
Why I love this solution: A group of staff members from Kalmar Energi developed the idea for the two solar parks with two main motives in mind. One aspect was to create a strong local green brand that would serve to strengthen ties to the company’s customers. A second aspect was to expand the local energy production base. Kalmar Energi follows a strategy that aims at localising energy production. This ambition is captured in the company’s slogan “Energi härifrån, inte darifrån” (“energy from here, not from there”). The projects are not a clear business case for the company as it does not produce any financial gains. Nonetheless, it made it very easy from the company’s customers to become prosumers.