Ensto is currently building its own solar power plant to its headquarters in Porvoo, Finland, which will cover part of its factory's electricity production and serve as a test field for Ensto's product development. A total of 450 solar panels have just been installed on the roof of the main building, with an estimated annual output of approximately 130,000 kWh (152,000 Wp).
Ensto's President and CEO Hannu Keinänen sees the solar power plant as part of the company's responsibility: "We are constantly looking for ways to reduce our energy consumption, and for our part we want to promote zero-emission electricity generation, because we believe that renewable and carbon-free electricity is the answer to combating climate change."
Smart solutions are needed to balance electricity production and consumption. Together with the solar panels, a battery energy storage system with inverter units will be installed, which will enable smart energy management of the building in the near future. In addition to electricity generation, the solar power plant will act as a test environment for Ensto's own product development. The target is to develop solutions for both the energy management of Ensto's real estate and the control of the intelligent battery systems of the future.
"Our aim is to improve the energy efficiency of our products and solutions with smart technology, and our product development team will find out, for example, how the battery can be connected to electric vehicle charging fields and systems, which would also promote electric traffic in the future", says Ensto's Senior Vice President of R&D and Technology Anssi Savelius.
Electricity generation using solar panels will begin by the end of September.
More information: Anssi Savelius, SVP, R&D and Technology, Ensto Oy
Today on September 21, 2020, is Zero Emissions Day, which has been designed to give the world a break from fossil fuels and to raise awareness about the harm caused by carbon emissions. Ensto is involved in CLC's campaign, because we want to be involved in advancing an emission-free future.