With the solar power system the company achieves savings in energy costs and develops itself towards a more energy efficient water company.
A solar panel system is under construction at the Turku Region Water pre-treatment plant in Huittinen. The pre-treatment plant in Huittinen is the most energy consuming unit in the water production system and the objective of the project is to produce part of the energy needed in the plant with zero emission solar energy.
The solar panel system is produced in Finland
The solar panel system is produced in a Finnish factory in Salo.
Business Finland has admitted a 20% energy aid for the project. The key aim of energy aid is to promote the development of innovative solutions for (partly) replacing the current energy systems with a low-carbon alternative in the long term. The distributor of the solar panel system is Salo Solar, a company which designs and produces solar panels in Salo, with 40 years of experience in the solar panel industry. The system requires 1350 solar panels which will be assembled on ground beside the plant. The power of the system is around 500 kWp. The construction started on fall 2020 and it is estimated to be ready on spring 2021.
– The solar panel system will be working at latest in summer 2021, clarifies Turku Region Water’s plant manager Kari Pinnola.
Besides the solar panel system, Turku Region Water plans to recover the heat energy of artificially infiltrated ground water
Sustainability and energy efficiency are the key elements in the strategy and values of the company. Turku Region Water has also commited to promote the carbon neutral Turku by 2029 -target. The electrical turbine at the end of the pipeline leading to Saramäki in Turku regulates the flow of water and produces clean energy. Since the managed aquifer recharge plant started it’s activity, the company has been producing energy from the flow of the water. The turbine that slows down the flow of clean drinking water produces the majority of the electricity needed for the pumping process from the reservoirs to consumers in Turku, Naantali and Raisio.
– We have also been investigating the possibily to recover the heat of the drinking water as part of the water production and distribution system and we have signed an intention letter with Turku Energia on a pilot project, which evaluates the possibilities of the heat recovery -project, summarizes Turku Region Water’s CEO Aki Artimo.