Ilmatar Advances with Europe’s Largest Solar Park in Sweden

After 18 months of extensive investigations, Ilmatar, a Nordic energy company, has completed and submitted the application for Sweden’s largest planned solar cell park to the County Administrative Board in Östergötland. Spanning 550 hectares in Olivehult, Motala municipality, this project aims to combine solar energy production with sheep grazing in collaboration with Wästanå Gård farm.

Ilmatar’s solar park in Olivehult is set to become one of Europe’s largest, dwarfing existing parks in Sweden with over four times the size. It’s projected to generate approximately 500 GWh annually, equivalent to powering 24,000 average single-family homes, significantly bolstering the electricity grid in the SE3 region.

Following a meticulous 1.5-year process involving consultations, environmental assessments, technical investigations, and more, Ilmatar’s application is now awaiting environmental review. Robert Wedmo, Ilmatar’s Permit Manager in Sweden, anticipates further inquiries from the County Administrative Board before the summer, alongside efforts to secure grid connection permissions.

Notably, the solar park’s integration with sheep grazing, facilitated by the KRAV-certified Wästanå Gård, holds promise for enhancing biodiversity in the area. Robert Pettersson, a farmer at Wästanå, underscores the benefits of repurposing low-value production forests into productive grasslands while meeting the increasing demand for green energy.

Ilmatar’s expansion into Sweden since 2022 marks a significant stride in advancing renewable energy production. Scaling up solar installations offers cost efficiencies and grid stability, crucial for accelerating the energy transition. Robert Wedmo emphasizes the necessity of scaling up renewable energy production to meet the surging electricity demand forecasted by 2045 while aligning with Sweden’s goal of achieving complete fossil-free status by the same year.