Solar power fuels Finnish port

The Port of Helsinki will increase the use of renewable solar energy by significantly multiplying the number of solar panels at Vuosaari Harbour and West Terminal 2. The power plants, which produce zero emissions during use, will be put into service by the end of the year.

“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,” said the port.

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 145MWh. 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.