HELSINKI: A dozen solar panels gleam in the sun on the roof of a semi-detached house in Herttoniemi, eastern Helsinki. In March, some of the panels are still covered with snow, but the homeowner says that the longer, brighter spring days are already spurring a noticeable increase in electricity production.
“Yesterday we had an output of 1,000 watts. Sometimes the summer it gets up to 3,000 watts a day,” says homeowner Timo Juutilainen.
With a gently-sloping south-facing roof on the seashore, the location is ideal for solar energy production in northern Europe. Juutilainen installed the panels two years ago and has been satisfied with how they work.
A month ago, the family put in an electricity storage unit that retains electricity generated by the panels for 3-4 hours.
Electricity storage units are still new, expensive products, so sales have been minimal so far. For instance, Helen has only sold a few of them.
“There are several installations underway and several other customers are interested. But we expect sales to pick up,” says Siilin.
Naps Solar Systems says it has installed about 10 storage units for detached houses in the Uusimaa region so far.
“At the moment, these are being bought by people who’re interested in technology and those who want to produce their own energy,” says sales director Markus Andersen, who also chairs the Finnish solar technology association.
