While commercial photovoltaic systems for home owners and companies have been dominating the solar market for a long time, large-scale solar parks are starting to multiply in Sweden. The sector of utility-scale solar power is expected to hit a growth spurt in the coming years. In this article, we present the largest solar parks in Sweden as of June 2023.
1) 450MW solar project in Tönnersjö, Halland county
The Finnish energy company Ilmatar Energy is preparing to construct a huge solar park in Sweden with a total estimated capacity of 450MW. This will cover the consumption of 25,000 households. It will not only be Sweden’s largest solar park, but also the largest solar park in Northern Europe. The large-scale solar park will be built in the forests owned by Silvestica Green Forest Sverige AB in Tönnersjö in Halland county. Moreover, Ilmatar Energy has other plans to build an even larger solar park in Sweden: The developer is currently proposing a 550MW solar park which would be located in the municipality of Motala in Östergötland. The company’s subsidiary Ilmatar Solar is working together with Vinnergi on the project. Currently, the proposals for the site are still moving through the permit process.
Location: Tönnersjö, Halland county
Developer: Ilmatar Energy
2) 150MW solar park Kogshult PV in Sjöbo
In Sweden, the Stockholm-based developer OX2 is constructing the solar park Kogshult PV with a capacity of 150 MW in Sjöbo. It is expected to become operational by 2027. Furthermore, OX2 has seven other large-scale solar projects under development, including the 100MW Brunskog-Stjärnarp PV in Halmstad kommun which will be commissioned in 2026. One of the company‘s ambitious future developments is a large-scale solar park in Vittskövle, near Furuboda, in the Kristianstad municipality. Once operational, the solar park will be able to provide about 100 GWh of electricity every year. This would cover the household electricity consumption of about 20,000 households. Currently, the conditions of the proposed area are being investigated. The permitting process for the solar project will start between early summer and fall 2023.
Location: Sjöbo
Developer: OX2
3) 128.5MW solar farm in Svedberga outside Helsingborg
With this solar park, European Energy’s plan was to construct Sweden’s largest solar project. The project will have a total capacity of 128.5 MW once it becomes operational. Located in Svedberga outside Helsingborg, it covers 232.5 hectares, of which one third will be used for solar power production. The remaining two thirds of the area will be utilised for agriculture, and trees will be planted at the edge of the park to reinforce biological diversity. The project has already been approved by the Land and Environment Court in Växjö and is expected to be completed in 2023 and operational in 2024. With this fast development timeline, this solar project is likely to be the largest solar project at the time it becomes operational.
Location: Svedberga outside Helsingborg
Developer: European Energy
Image: Andreas Gücklhorn via Unsplash (03.06.2023)