Port of Helsinki to multiply the amount of solar energy it generates
The Port of Helsinki will increase its generation of renewable energy and considerably increase the number of solar panels at Vuosaari Harbour and West Terminal 2. The power plants will be put into service by the end of the year, the company said in its release.
The Port of Helsinki’s objective is for its own operations to be 100% carbon-neutral by 2035. This demanding objective can be achieved by considerably reducing energy consumption and obtaining the remaining energy required from carbon-neutral energy sources.
Increasing the use of renewable solar energy is one solution. It has zero emissions during use, and by reducing the consumption of energy generated with fossil fuels, it simultaneously reduces the Port’s carbon footprint directly.
The Port of Helsinki put its first solar panels into service next to Vuosaari Harbour’s noise barrier in 2016. After that, panels were also installed on top of the passenger bridge at West Terminal 2 in the new terminal’s construction phase.
A total of 307 new solar panels have now been installed on the roof of the V6 and V7 buildings in Vuosaari. A total of 200 panels will be installed on the roof of West Terminal 2.
The annual yield of the new power plants is a total of approximately 145 MWh, which corresponds to the annual consumption of almost 100 residential building apartments or 10 single-family detached homes.
The calculated decrease in CO2 emissions will be approximately 20,000 kg per year.
With the yield from the power plants, the Port will reduce its need to purchase electricity: the renewable electricity generated by the solar power plants will be consumed at West Terminal 2 and the buildings in Vuosaari by ventilation equipment, lighting and cooling systems, for example.
