Norrbotten’s largest solar park to date

Alviksgården has signed an agreement with Sunna Group to establish Norrbotten’s largest solar park to date on the meadows between Alvik and Skäret, about 25 km south of Luleå. The park will cover about 30 hectares of land, which in terms of size can be compared to 40 football fields.

The planning and permit process for what could be Norrbotten’s largest solar park to date is now starting, with an estimated installed capacity of 15 megawatts, which corresponds to the annual consumption of household electricity for more than 3,000 homes. Estimated annual production is around 15 million kWh.

For landowners, solar parks can be an alternative source of income by using land that is unused, has no purpose, and is of low nature and production value.

– This is a great opportunity for rural areas. When the industry changes, we need to look at all ways to produce more electricity. Therefore, solar cells are an excellent way for landowners in the countryside to contribute and thus generate their own income, says Oskar Hederyd, business developer in establishments at Luleå Business Region.

Mikael Hugosson, landowner and owner of Alviksgården:

– With this investment, we can contribute to the self-sufficiency of electricity both for our own farm and for Norrbotten. My main driving force is to switch to a fossil-free society. It is also incredibly fun and interesting to learn something new. Something I am passionate about.

The park in Alvik will have vertical panels. This provides higher solar radiation than horizontal panels that are covered with snow in winter. The local power company Luleå Energi is pleased to see continued investment in solar power in Luleå.

– At Luleå Energi, we think this is very exciting. When we built our solar power park Helia near Sunderby Hospital a few years ago, we wanted to inspire and show that it is possible to produce solar electricity on a larger scale in Norrbotten. We are pleased that Sunna now takes the next step and continues to build solar power here with us. All electricity production is needed in the energy transition, says Sofia Antonsen, Head of Development at Luleå Energi.

This establishment was made possible thanks to Luleå Business Region, which brought the two parties together:

– Luleå Business Region have been very helpful and their commitment has been genuine throughout the entire process. It’s clear that this team cares about the best interests of the region and wants to create business value,” says Marcus Qviberg, CEO of Sunna Group.

Large-scale photovoltaic parks are new to Norrbotten and we will surely see more of this kind as all additional energy is important to contribute to both increasing the degree of self-sufficiency and enabling the green transition.

– Norrbotten is an exciting region where large industrial investments will require a lot of electricity at the same time as the solar irradiation along the coast is much higher than most people think, Marcus Qviberg, CEO of Sunna Group.