THE ATRIA'S SUN
THE ATRIA'S SUN
Between 2017 and 2018, Solarigo implemented a 5.9 megawatt solar power plant called Atria's Sun (Atrian Aurinko in Finnish) to Atria's factory located in Nurmo. The project was a key energy project supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Atria's Sun initially consisted of 11 separate power plants, two of which were installed on the ground and nine on roofs. In addition, various technical solutions related to solar electricity were piloted in the project starting in 2019, for example a significant size 1 MW electricity storage, which enables participation in reserve and power balancing markets.
Atria's Sun was Finland's first industrial scale solar park. The park was the largest in Finland from 2018 until 2023. The solar system's panel output was almost doubled with an expansion section of 5.0 megawatts in 2023.
The project has received significant coverage on major media platforms during the project's development, installation, commissioning and throughout several following years.
PANELS
31,000
INVESTMENT M€
~ 8.0
STEP
PRODUCTION
LOCATION
NURMO
CAPACITY MWP
10,9
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Development
Atria's solar project got its start when the 4-hectare open composting field north of Atria's factory fell out of use, and Atria's supply chain management manager at the time, Tapani Potka, and Solarigo's founding partner Jukka Muilu came up with the idea of using the area to build a large-scale solar power plant.
H2 / 2016
H2 / 2016
PROGRESS OF THE PROJECT
Design
In January 2017, the project received a positive decision from the Ministry of Labor and Economy as an Energy Top Project. The projects investment was to be approximately 6,8 million EUR.
A project company Nurmon Aurinko Oy was founded, which was responsible for the implementation of the project and the delivery of smart electricity use services to Atria with a long-term contract. Atria Suomi Oy and Solarigo Systems Oy are both shareholders in Nurmon Aurinko Oy.
1 / 2017
01 / 2017
Construction
First solar panel installations began in June 2017, and Atria took a step towards its goal of producing low-emission domestic food.
06 / 2017
06 / 2017
Pilots
In the project, a significant 1 MW electricity storage was implemented in Finland, as well as an electricity-saving smart system installed in 19 different locations in 2019.
2019
2019
Production
Atria's Sun started solar electricity production in September of 2018.
09 / 2018
09 / 2018
Solar park expansion
The construction of the expansion part of Atria's Sun started with earthmoving after the soil had been melted of ice and snow enough in May 2022. Solar panel installation started in August 2022.
05 / 2022
05 / 2022
05 / 2022
Commissioning the expansion of the power plant
The 5.0 megawatt expansion part of Atria's Sun was commissioned in March 2023. As a new technology, double-sided bi-facial solar panels were used in the park.
The extension part was built as a single park complex on the east side of the factory area.
With the expansion, Atria covers approximately 8% of its electricity consumption with emission-free solar electricity.
03 / 2023
03 / 2023
Construction of the expansion section
The construction of the expansion part of Atria Auringo started with earthworks after the soil had been sealed enough in May 2022. Solar panel installation started in August 2022.
05 / 2022
2019
Deploying the expansion of the power plant
The 5.0 Megawatt expansion part of Atrian Auringo was commissioned in March 2023. As a new technology, double-sided bi-facial solar panels were used in the park.
The extension part was built as a single park complex on the east side of the factory area.
With the expansion, Atria covers approximately 8% of its electricity consumption with emission-free solar electricity.
03 / 2023
2019
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