Linde Energi is building Sweden’s first large-scale solar park that combines electricity production with agriculture. The construction is Sweden’s first large-scale solar park of its kind and probably the largest in the Nordics.
Outside the small town of Fellingsbro in the east of Sweden, municipality-owned Linde Energy is building the company’s second solar park. The solar park, called Solvallen, uses agrivoltaic technology where vertical, double-sided solar panels are used, which enables continued use of the land for the cultivation of pasture.
– This project contributes to solving national goal conflicts, namely between land use for electricity production and agriculture. Here, instead, these interests are combined in an effective way, Peter Ström, Head of Electricity Production at Linde energi, said in a press release.
A research project
Mälardalen University, together with Linde Energi and Solkompaniet, has been granted support by the KK foundation for a multi-year research project linked to Solvallen. The aim is to study the production of solar energy, crop yields and economics. Sparbanksstiftelsen Bergslagen is also involved and supports the project.
– The combination of cultivation and electricity production has the potential to provide more efficient and profitable land use, which could open up a multi-billion market for solar power if the concept is successful, said Bengt Stridh, university lecturer at Mälardalen University.
About Solvallen
The surface of the solar park is just over one hectare. The roughly 1,300 solar panels are estimated to be able to produce approximately 650,000-kilowatt hours per year. It is enough to supply 130 typical households with household electricity each year (source: Statistics Sweden).
Solvallen will produce its first sustainable kilowatt hours of solar energy during the autumn/winter of 2022.
