VSB Group’s Finnish subsidiary is developing its second hybrid wind and PV project with a total capacity of 450MW.
In the North Ostrobothnia region, VSB Uusiutuva Energia Suomi Oy’s project is currently in the approval process.
An essential part of the hybrid project is the Puutionsaari wind farm with 49 wind turbines and a capacity of 350MW, complemented by a 100MWp solar farm on a former peat extraction site acquired by VSB.
The solar project is currently in the approval process, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The technical aspects of the hybrid park were tested in Juurakko, Kalajoki.
Here, VSB has realised its first wind farm with a connected photovoltaic field together with Solarigo Systems Oy, a partner that plans and builds solar power plants for companies and municipalities.
Juurakko has seven wind turbines with a total capacity of 40MW and a 13MWp solar farm consisting of over 24,000 solar cells.
As the future of the energy mix, hybrid parks offer many advantages by combining wind and solar power.
They provide a stable supply of energy all year round and their efficient design means they can be easily connected to the national grid without the need for additional transmission lines, VSB said.
The use of former peat extraction sites, as in Puutionsaari, is also an efficient use of land, it added.
Dr Felix Grolman, chief executive of VSB Group, said: “The combination of solar and wind energy in hybrid projects is not just a sign of innovation, but also an essential step towards a comprehensive energy transition.
“It is not an option, it is a necessity.”