Norrbotten's largest solar park planned in Alvik

Luleå Alviksgården, one of the region's largest producers of meat and sausages, has signed an agreement with Sunna Group to establish Norrbotten's largest solar park to date between Alvik and Skäret, a few miles south of Luleå.

The park will be about 30 hectares in size on meadowland in the area. The size is equivalent to 40 football fields.

The installed capacity is planned to be 15 megawatts and the annual production of electricity is expected to be 15 million kilowatt hours.

"With this investment, we can contribute to the self-sufficiency of electricity both for our own farm and for Norrbotten. My main motivation is to convert to a fossil-free society. It's also incredibly fun and interesting to learn something new. Something I'm passionate about," says Mikael Hugosson, landowner and owner of Alviksgården, and the company Nyhléns Hugosons, one of the major food companies in the region.

The park in Alvik will have vertical panels. This will allow for more sunlight than horizontal panels, which are covered with snow in winter. The plans show how solar parks can be an alternative source of income for landowners when using land that is not used or serves no purpose, and has low natural and productive value.

"This is a great opportunity for rural areas. As industry converts, we need to look at all the ways we can produce more electricity. Therefore, solar cells are an excellent way for landowners in rural areas to contribute and generate their own income," says Oskar Hederyd, business developer at the Luleå Business Region, who has been involved in bringing Alviksgården together with the Sunna Group.

"Norrbotten is an exciting region where major industrial initiatives will require a lot of electricity, while the solar radiation along the coast is much better than most people think," says Marcus Qviberg, CEO of Sunna Group.

The planned solar park in Alvik will be larger than the solar park that Luleå Energi has been operating on meadows near Sunderby Hospital between Luleå and Boden for a few years.

Sunna Group is a newly formed company based in Åre in Jämtland. The business is to develop, own, manage and produce large-scale solar power. The focus is on building solar parks on land that has low natural and productive value or is already exploited and damaged.

Lennart Håkansson

editor@northswedenbusiness.com