Today, Estonia's first wind and solar hybrid park is being opened
Today, on the International Wind Day, Enefit Green's Purtse wind and solar hybrid park, which is a unique renewable energy facility in Estonia, will be officially opened. It is also the first large-scale wind park to be opened in Estonia in many years.
The Purtse hybrid plant consists of a 21-megawatt wind park with five turbines and a 32-megawatt solar park with nearly 49,000 panels. Together, the hybrid park will provide electricity equivalent to approximately 25,000 Estonian households annually.
In the hybrid solution, the wind and solar parks are connected to the same grid connection point, and both parks utilize the same equipment for supplying electricity to the grid. By combining the variable electricity production from wind during autumn and winter with solar production during spring and summer, the amount of electricity fed into the grid becomes more stable, and the connection is utilized more efficiently.
Aavo Kärmas, the CEO of Enefit Green, emphasized the significance of the Purtse hybrid park. He mentioned that the park features the first new and modern wind turbines installed in Estonia in many years. The unique hybrid solution allows for increased production capacity by utilizing the same grid connection, and there is also the possibility of adding energy storage in the future.
Kärmas further highlighted the speed at which renewable energy can be added to the market when necessary, planning procedures are completed. Within a year of the decision to start construction, the wind turbines were installed, and the first electricity was produced. The development of the Purtse park became possible due to long-term electricity sales contracts, which provided Enefit Green with necessary investment security while securing electricity price for the buyer for a decade.
Enefit Green has invested nearly 47 million euros in the establishment of the Purtse hybrid park.
The Purtse wind park consists of five 150-meter Vestas wind turbines with a nominal capacity of 4.2 megawatts.
The solar park covers an area of approximately 45 hectares and contains nearly 49,000 Yingli Solar panels with a nominal capacity of 655 watts. The Purtse solar park is the largest completed solar park developed by Enefit Green.
June 15th is International Wind Day, which aims to promote the benefits and possibilities of wind energy. Wind energy is one of the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective methods of electricity generation. Estonia's goal is to produce as much renewable electricity by 2030 as it consumes, and wind energy plays a key role in achieving this goal.