Lemene

Project description

Location
Lempäälä

Capacity
2.0 MWp

Solar panels
6 000

MWh / a
1 800

Solar energy as part of a self-sufficient energy community

Solarigo participated in the LEMENE flagship energy technology project, led by Lempäälän Energia, in the role of solar power plant supplier. In 2019, Solarigo delivered a 2,000 kWp ground-mounted solar power plant for the use of the LEMENE energy community. At the time of its completion, the plant was among the largest in Finland. Solarigo’s delivery accounted for half of the project’s total 4,000 kWp of solar power.

Solarigo is a capable, reliable, transparent, and responsive partner. Cooperation with Solarigo has always been smooth, and the expertise we needed has always been readily available.

Jarno Lintunen, CEO, Lempäälän Energia

A flagship energy technology project requires vision

The core idea behind the Lempäälä energy community was to build an intelligent and self-sufficient microgrid that could independently secure the entire area’s energy supply. Energy is produced by gas engines, solar plants, and fuel cells. In addition to the production units, the energy system incorporates battery storage, a thermal storage unit, a heat pump, and five substations, all connected through a dedicated regional medium-voltage network.

Solar power was chosen for the project because it works well alongside gas-based CHP production, complementing the energy balance during summer days. The project sought two suppliers for the solar plants, each with a capacity of 2,000 kWp. Solarigo was selected thanks to its proven capability in large-scale projects — the company was executing other MW-scale installations at the same time. The solar plant installation was carried out professionally and on schedule.

“Solarigo was involved in project design from the very beginning and contributed valuable expertise already at that stage. During the project, Solarigo’s project manager was proactive, managing both tasks and communications excellently,” says Jarno Lintunen, CEO of Lempäälän Energia.

The output of the solar panel field has met expectations. In the LEMENE environment, hybrid system battery storage helps balance fluctuations in solar power generation, for example when weather conditions deviate from forecasts. The project has sparked considerable discussion, both about the development of the energy sector in general and about the opportunities for technology deployment.

For the municipality of Lempäälä, leadership in the energy sector and the HINKU climate targets are top priorities. Through solar energy, the municipality and the LEMENE project have received significant positive recognition.

LEMENE
The LEMENE project (Lempäälä Energy Community) was a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland, completed in 2019. An intelligent, self-sufficient energy system was built in the Marjamäki industrial area near Ideapark. In this new model, companies in the industrial area can join a decentralized energy system where energy is produced by solar panels, gas engines, and fuel cells.

www.lempaalanenergia.fi/lemene/