Mäkelä Alu’s solar power plant project was completed on schedule this autumn, and the plant was connected to the grid at the beginning of November. The solar power plant produces electricity even during winter, which may come as a surprise.
– The plant performs well even in early spring when days are bright and cold. The panels are bifacial and also capture light reflected from snow. The best efficiency is achieved in April and May when daylight increases and the air remains cool, preventing the panels from overheating, says Ismo Pitkänen, Managing Director of Pitkäsen Sähköasennus Oy.
Made from our own profiles
The solar power plant was purchased as a turnkey delivery from Pitkäsen Sähköasennus Oy. The subcontractor for the project was Wisol Oy, a company specialised in building solar parks and also a customer of Mäkelä Alu.
– The project was special because solar parks are typically built from steel. We wanted to do things differently and built the support structures entirely from aluminium profiles extruded in our own factory, says Reijo Seppälä, Project Manager responsible for the project at Mäkelä Alu.
The structures were designed based on official strength calculations by an engineering consultancy. The profile design was carried out by our own profile designer Joni Malinen in close cooperation with Wisol, who also handled the mechanical and layout planning of the plant.
– Wisol was also responsible for the on-site installation thanks to their strong expertise in solar field construction, says Ismo Pitkänen.
– The cooperation with both Ismo Pitkänen and Mäkelä Alu was extremely solution-focused. Together we found the right ways to utilise aluminium in the mounting system, says Arto Kurtti, Commercial Director at Wisol Oy.
Supporting energy self-sufficiency
The plant consists of 1488 solar panels and has a maximum output of 952 kWp.
– The plant produces approximately the annual electricity consumption of fifty electrically heated detached houses, says Ismo Pitkänen.
The electricity consumption of Mäkelä Alu’s factory area is still considerably higher.
– The plant naturally does not cover our full consumption, but it is a good step towards improved energy self-sufficiency. Locally generated electricity also supports our green electricity sourcing strategy, says Reijo Seppälä.
The plant is located in a field area behind the extrusion plant and the anodising plant. The same area also contains an energy storage unit that Mäkelä Alu uses on the national reserve market.
– By participating in the reserve market, Mäkelä Alu supports grid balancing and the use of green energy. The energy storage unit acts as a flexibility element when weather-dependent production fluctuates, says Tomi Pilbacka, Development Director at Mäkelä Alu.
Part of the RRF project
The solar power plant is part of Mäkelä Alu’s RRF project. RRF (Recovery and Resilience Facility) is EU funding under the NextGenerationEU programme, granted for green transition projects. In Finland the funding is provided by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (TEM). Mäkelä Alu’s project began in 2022 and received RRF energy investment support covering 27 percent of the total investment.
DID YOU KNOW?
Mäkelä Alu’s factory area consumes as much electricity annually as a small municipality. The consumption equals that of around 1000 electrically heated detached houses. All the electricity we purchase is emission-free.
