Industrial-scale solar farm completed in Nurmijärvi – Norelco participated in the project

The first industrial-scale solar farm of the Finnish energy company Helen is located in Nurmijärvi. Completed in 2023, the farm has 2,800 solar panels in total. Norelco supplied the solar farm with a containerised power distribution unit tailored to the needs of industrial production. 

According to Helen, solar farms are an effective means of meeting increasing electricity demand and an important component in the electricity production mix. Increasing the use of solar energy is supported by the fact that, according to studies, the amount of solar irradiance in Southern Finland is equal to that of Central Europe. 

Helen’s ground-mounted solar farm in Nurmijärvi has around 2,800 solar panels, covering an area of around three hectares. The farm’s total capacity is 1.5 MWp, which corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of 750 one-bedroom flats. With the annual production of the solar farm, you could drive, for example, an average of 10,000,000 kilometres with an electric vehicle.   

Modular power distribution unit for solar farm

A transformer substation was needed to transfer the electrical power produced by the solar panels to the network. The transformer converts the 800-volt voltage into medium voltage (20kV) for feeding to the network. 

Helen opted for Norelco’s power distribution unit in which the entire ready-to-use distribution solution is installed in a modular container. The containerised unit that was engineered for the Nurmijärvi solar farm contains a NorMax MV switchgear, NorPower 5000 main distribution board and NorBus 5000 busbar trunking system. 

“This is a full-service solution for the electrification of the solar farm: we designed and manufactured an optimal power distribution unit in terms of the solar farm’s production capacity, installed in a container solution also designed by us,” says Norelco’s Sales Director Juha Katainen. 

The power distribution unit provides excellent switchgear packing density, and the doors, openings, floors and partitions, among others, are built according to the requirements of the project. The factory-made, configured and tested solution saves the customer both construction time and money. 

“It is practically a turn-key solution as the amount of installation work at the construction site is minimal,” Katainen points out.  

A carbon-neutral future as a shared goal  

Helen invests in sustainable development and carbon neutrality. In fact, the company is planning similar solar farm projects for the near future. 

Katainen says that Norelco also focuses on developing services and product solutions that support the green transition in the energy sector. 

“We are involved in several projects of different size that help build a carbon-neutral future for the energy industry. These include solar farm projects such as Helen’s and hydrogen and methane production processes. Solutions that are more relevant to us normal consumers include NorEve feeder panels for charging stations in parking facilities and charging pools. Developing current solutions to support the electricity sector’s green transition at different levels is a priority for us as a company and our customers.” 

More information:

Norelco Oy, Juha Katainen, tel. +358 50 525 5100, juha.katainen@norelco.fi