Establishing a large-scale solar park in Haugaland Næringspark
Today it was announced that Haugaland Kraft’s solar energy company, Endra AS, has signed a letter of intent to establish a large-scale solar park in Haugaland Business Park at Gismarvik.
– This is a milestone for us, and a clear signal of how we plan to move forward in the coming years. Haugaland Business Park is an ideal location for us – there are large available areas and, unlike many other places, both infrastructure and grid connection are already in place. The park has already made a strong mark within the clean energy and renewables segment, and we naturally also see good synergy opportunities with future industrial establishments here. In Haugaland Business Park, we avoid using farmland, and the established industrial area will be a major advantage during the development phase, says CEO of Haugaland Kraft, Olav Linga.
Positive for the environmental accounts
Endra’s main focus is on long-term agreements with companies, which provide security for investments and predictability for customers.
– There is a growing trend among companies in Europe to buy power directly from plants on long-term contracts. This ensures price stability, and from a sustainability perspective, such power purchase agreements can be credited directly in the environmental accounts – without the need for additional certificates. The EU and major players such as Equinor and others are setting increasingly strict requirements for renewable shares, so these will be good solutions for many, says Endra’s CEO, Kristian Gautesen.
Strong synergy opportunities in the park
With new types of technology, we can manage power production throughout the day and better meet demand, especially for companies with high daytime electricity consumption. Gautesen envisions a steadily increasing need for various forms of battery charging in the future, and solar charging during the day could be a smart solution.
– We hope that new establishments in the park will see the advantages of locally produced clean energy. A gigantic battery factory is now being built here, and several businesses with large roof surfaces are also planned – ideal for solar power production. Data centers and cooling companies will also be perfect matches for solar production. There will certainly be tough competition in this market, but our goal is to be well-positioned and competitive, he says.
In addition to power purchase agreements, Endra also focuses on selling solar energy to the grid.
The managing director of Haugaland Business Park, Tiril Fjeld, is very pleased to welcome yet another producer of clean energy to the park.
– We need all the clean power we can get. With Statnett’s planned 420kV station, Fagne’s 132kV station, wind power both onshore and from the future Utsira Nord, solar power from Endra will strengthen the park as an important energy hub. With sufficient clean energy, the large-scale establishments with jobs and exports will follow, says Fjeld.
Western Norway is not primarily known for its sunny weather. Still, solar power production here has several advantages.
– We are not dependent on continuous strong sunlight. Temperature actually plays just as important a role, since excessively high temperatures reduce the efficiency of solar cells. Compared to southern European countries, it can therefore be an advantage to produce solar power at slightly lower temperatures, explains Gautesen.
Endra and Haugaland Business Park will now look more closely at specific areas before Endra moves forward with the licensing application.
– Our goal is to be operational within two to three years, says Gautesen.
