Press release 2016-03-02 at 11:47
Two years ago a 10 kWp solar power system was installed on the wall and roof of the Town Hall of Laitila.
The Finnish Environment Institute SYKE has launched a joint procurement of solar power systems, inviting all municipalities and municipal enterprises in Finland to increase their use of solar power. The solar power stations are to be leased, as a result of which municipalities do not need to invest in the plants themselves or accrue any additional operating costs. The leasing-based joint procurement process was developed as part of the Carbon Neutral Municipalities (HINKU) project coordinated by SYKE.
SYKE expects responses from municipalities interested in participating in the joint procurement by the end of March. After this all the systems to be procured will be listed and leasing tenders will be requested for the stations and for funding. The plan is for all installations to be carried out by the end of the year.
In order to maximise cost-effectiveness, SYKE recommends that municipalities procure solar power stations primarily for properties that will use the generated electricity themselves. The leasing price of the stations will correspond to the price of the solar panels’ calculated electricity production if it was purchased from the grid.
"This way the procurement of the solar power stations will not result in any investment costs or additional operating costs during the leasing period. The solar power stations are estimated to reach approximately the halfway point of their life cycle by the end of the leasing period. After the leasing period ends, municipalities can purchase the solar panels for a price equal to a low depreciation value defined in advance," says the coordinator of the project, Engineer Pasi Tainio.
Through the joint procurement municipalities can order single or multiple 5, 10 or 20 kWp solar power stations. Municipalities are expected to carry out the planning of the solar power plants and the acquisition of necessary permits themselves, but support will be provided as necessary by SYKE's HINKU team or local operators.
The Ministry of Employment and the Economy subsidises solar power by 25%, which in this case shortens the length of the leasing period. However, subsidies are not granted to residential buildings, as a result of which they cannot participate in the procurement process.
37 private households in Päijät-Häme participating in joint procurement
In Päijät-Häme, a separate joint procurement process in which solar panels are procured for private households has proceeded to the tendering phase, with a total of 37 private households from Asikkala, Padasjoki and Kuhmoinen taking part in the joint order. The panels to be procured will be primarily installed in detached houses. The total order quantity is 130 kW.
The tendering process for the procurement and the installation of the solar panels will be carried out in March. The aim is for all of the solar panels to be installed during the summer of 2016. The joint procurement is part of the Välke project, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The Välke project is one of the three sub-projects of the Carbon Neutral Municipalities (HINKU) project.
Further information
Engineer Pasi Tainio, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), tel. +358 (0)29 525 1 676, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
Research Engineer Jarmo Linjama, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), tel. +358 (0)29 525 1382, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
Energy Specialist Tero Viander, Välke project, tel. +358 (0)44 778 0060, firstname.lastname@asikkala.fi
30 municipalities have already joined the Carbon Neutral Municipalities network
The municipalities of the Carbon Neutral Municipalities (HINKU) project have committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from the level of 2007 by 2030. The Carbon Neutral Municipalities network currently consists of 30 municipalities: Asikkala, Hanko, Hyvinkää, Ii, Ilomantsi, Inkoo, Joensuu, Kitee, Kuhmoinen, Laitila, Lappeenranta, Lieksa, Liperi, Lohja, Masku, Muhos, Mynämäki, Nurmes, Outokumpu, Padasjoki, Parikkala, Porvoo, Raasepori, Rauma, Rautjärvi, Ruokolahti, Siuntio, Tohmajärvi, Uusikaupunki and Valtimo. The combined population of these municipalities is over 530,000. A number of additional municipalities are currently considering joining the network.