The district administration council in Östergötland has given permission to the Sunna Group to build a solar park in Vikbolandet in Norrköping municipality. The upcoming solar park will be built on an area of 90 hectares with a total output of 70 megawatts, which will be the largest solar park in the province so far.
The district administration council in Östergötland has given permission to the Sunna Group to build a solar park in Vikbolandet in Norrköping municipality. The upcoming solar park will be built on an area of 90 hectares with a total output of 70 megawatts, which will be the largest solar park in the province so far.
The project is now entering the next phase of final design with the network owner. The annual production from Vikingen 1 is estimated at 70 million kWh per year, which corresponds to the annual household electricity consumption of more than half of the villas in Norrköping municipality.
Submission of the initial design of the park.
“It feels really good to get permission for a solar park of this dignity. This is important for both domestic electricity supply and business, nature and living, but also for Sweden as a whole because we are facing a major transition with an increased need for energy in which solar energy will be an obvious part.“says Markus Kveberg, CEO of the Sunna Group.
Sunna Group invests in biodiversity and finding land with low natural and productivity values or land that has already been exploited and destroyed. The Vikingen 1 project is an example of how the Sunna project developers can find land with a low natural value and potential connection to the electricity grid.
“I think it’s very funny that things are moving forward and that we get a chance to use the land to its best advantage. Today the land has a low production value and I think the biodiversity and animal life will feel good about this enterprise.”says landowner Markus Cederblad.
Bring transparency to the garden.
The land consists of low yielding farmland, with large portions of its surface annually affected by floods with crops destroyed as a result. The construction of the garden will have little effect on the total arable land in Sweden because the land is very wet. When the garden reaches its lifespan after about 35 years, the surface can be returned to farmland. In the meantime, these 90 hectares will instead help another very pressing community interest through their contribution to the transition towards a fossil-free society.
“I think this is a fun project! The area is perfect to build a solar garden on, as the land is currently waterlogged and difficult to farm, so it’s good that we’re getting close to building.”says landowner David Liu.
A series of efforts will be implemented to enhance the biodiversity of the site where, among other things, ditches and small arable islands will be left intact. Solar gardens themselves can also benefit the many ground-nesting birds that can seek shade and protection from predators under solar panels. The future park will not be fenced but will be kept open to ensure wildlife can continue to move freely in and through the area.
Submission of the initial design of the garden.
The advisory notice was issued in collaboration with environmental consultants from Envigo.
“We are very proud to have padded this out with the Sunna Group. It will be the largest solar park in Östergötland to date, and a big step on the way to a sustainable future.”says Linnéa Andersson, consulting director at Envigo Facts: Project Vikingen 1
Area: 90 hectares
Capacity: 70 MW
Production: 70,000,000 kWh per year, equivalent to the household electricity of 14,000 standard villas
Location: Vikbolandet, Östergötland County
Images: Sunnah Group
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