At HSB Solar Park in Strängnäs, a 4 MW battery system benefits both the power grid and its cooperative members
HSB Solar Park outside Strängnäs has been expanded with 4 MW of energy storage. The energy storage systems, installed on an existing grid connection, will contribute to grid benefits by connecting to Svenska kraftnät’s balancing market while maximizing member benefits by generating revenue for the solar park’s shareholders.
Just outside Strängnäs, along the E20 near Härad, lies one of Sweden’s largest solar parks, HSB Solar Park. The solar park, whose first phase was completed in 2020, had a capacity of 14 MW at the time, which was far greater than any other solar park at the time. In 2023, the solar park was expanded again and now has a capacity of just over 21 MW and an annual production of approximately 20,000,000 kWh, which corresponds to the electricity consumption of about 7,500 apartments.
– “Solar power is fossil-free, and for HSB as a community stakeholder, this is a contribution to a sustainable future,” says Jon Leo Rikhardsson, CEO of HSB Södermanland and the initiator of the solar park.
Supports the power grid and maximizes member benefits
In the spring of 2024, the solar park was expanded with 4 MW of energy storage, distributed across two container-sized batteries that are already being used to support the power grid by providing reserves on Svenska kraftnät’s balancing market. To this end, an agreement has been signed with Qurrent, which will not only manage the energy storage’s participation in the balancing market but also oversee the solar park, which can be dimmed as needed to support the power grid to the greatest extent possible.
More benefit from the same connection
In Sweden, we expect electricity consumption to double by 2045, and we are not unique. Many countries face an even greater increase in consumption. The need to expand the power grid is therefore enormous and is expected to take very little time. In fact, the lack of grid connection capacity is the biggest obstacle to expanding electricity production today.
At the same time, the increased amount of intermittent electricity production has also created a need for large power reserves. Here lies an opportunity to utilize existing connections by connecting energy storage systems to them. Arne Lindgren, an electrical engineer at Alstra Energy who designed and built the HSB Solar Park, highlights several advantages of utilizing an existing connection.
- By using an existing connection point, we increase the utilization rate of the transmission system. There are only a few hours per year when a solar park uses the full grid capacity; during the remaining hours, the energy storage system has the flexibility to contribute in various ways to increasing flexibility – for example, by supporting the balancing market, engaging in peak shaving, or selling the cheaply produced electricity when prices are higher.
Creates Value for Members
The solar park is owned by HSB and is structured according to the same principles as a housing cooperative, where associations purchase shares based on their electricity needs. The housing cooperatives thus buy electricity at a fixed price based on the investment cost, with no middleman involved. Initially, this was a concept offered to housing cooperatives in Södermanland, but due to high demand, the concept has been rolled out on a broad scale, meaning that interested cooperatives across the country have the opportunity to purchase electricity produced at the solar park. Currently, HSB Mölndal, Värmland, Södertörn, Södertälje, Kristinehamn, and Gothenburg have purchased shares in the solar park.
– “The strong interest from our members shows that solar energy is an important part of the future, and we are pleased to be able to enable more people to use fossil-free solar power while also fulfilling our social responsibility by contributing reserves to support the power grid,” says Jon Leo, CEO of HSB Södermanland.
