The Finnish unit of VSB Group is planning to build a hybrid project that will have 350 MW of wind energy and 100 MW of solar capacity in Finland’s North Ostrobothnia region. This is the first hybrid project created exclusively by VSB Uusiutuva Energia Suomi Oy will be in Haapavesi, where the 350 MW Puutionsaari wind park is planned.
Furthermore, the solar complex will be developed close to VSB’s 49-turbine wind-generating facility on a former peat-producing site. Meanwhile, VSB has already filed papers for the project’s permission and expects to receive approval by the end of 2023. The hybrid farm’s technical solutions have been evaluated in Juurakko, Kalajoki, where VSB developed its first wind-solar hybrid farm in collaboration with Solarigo Systems Oy.
In September 2023, VSB secured €211 million in project financing from Landesbank Baden-Württemberg and Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank to repower the Elster wind farm. €175 million of the €211 million loan has been financed on a long-term basis with a maturity of more than 20 years. It is situated in the towns of Zahna-Elster and Jessen in the Wittenberg district in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.
REGlobal’s Views: Solar-wind hybrid projects are becoming increasingly popular globally to manage the intermittency issues that renewable energy sources are prone to. Hybrid projects help address challenges in grid management and ensuring grid stability, and give higher PLFs when compared to standalone solar or wind with optimum utilisation of transmission infrastructure.
