Biodiverse solar park in Southern Jutland supplies green power to Skjern Paper

With its new and innovative focus on biodiversity, the future solar park on Als will be supplying Denmark’s only paper mill, Skjern Paper, with green power. As it is, the paper mill is working with circular economy and focuses, among other things, on recycling of all waste, a reduction of water consumption and waste heat, which covers more than half of Skjern Paper’s heating requirements.

With the help of Nordic Solar’s solar park on Als, the energy consumption will now also be based on green energy from the future plant in Lysabild. That fits in well with Skjern Paper’s ambitious sustainability policy.

“Skjern Paper wants to be the sustainable paper mill of the future, and we are working full steam on introducing climate-neutral factory operations throughout our food chain. With green energy from the solar park in Lysabild, we will reach an important milestone in relation to our circular economy ambitions, and we would like to thank Nordic Solar and our other business partners for making this happen,” says CEO Nikolaj Bjerre Thybo, Skjern Paper.

The agreement with Skjern Paper is the outcome of an innovative collaboration between Nordic Solar and EWII. Initiated and prepared by Energi Team and Our New Energy, the agreement reached has helped the parties enter into a unique power purchase agreement (PPA) with optimal risk allocation and based on a simple contract. The hope is that long-term power purchase agreements like this can alleviate the soaring need for green energy and form the basis for other companies looking to contribute to the green transition.

The establishment of the solar park in Lysabild on Als was launched at an event in May when the mayor of Sønderborg, Erik Lauritzen, cut the first sod for the solar park, which has a special focus on biodiversity.

Increased demand for green energy requires greater focus on nature
Demand for solar power is on an explosive increase and with the surge in demand comes at the same time a need for large areas of land where the solar parks can be located. Therefore, according to Nordic Solar, it is important to consider to the highest extent the biodiversity of the many future solar parks.

“Solar energy is developing rapidly, and more land areas will be needed to fulfil the need for green energy. That is why it is more important than ever that we assume responsibility in terms of biodiversity and dare to come up with new innovative solutions in both our new solar parks, but also those already established across Europe. Lysabild is just the beginning of the initiatives we are going to roll out in various locations. The possibilities are plenty when it comes to creating a healthy environment for plants, animals and insects, and intensive work is being done to implement this,” says Glenn Aagesen, COO of Nordic Solar.

New biodiversity standards
The solar park will be the first of its kind in Denmark and it is being built in collaboration with Mols Consulting, an advisory firm with many years of experience in nature management and environmental planning. Hedgerows will encircle the park, shielding it from public view, ponds will be re-established and cut tree trunks will be scattered around the solar cells to the benefit of various insects, fungi, and animals. According to Kåre Würtz Sørensen, a project consultant from Mols Consulting, the right solution has been achieved as the fewest resources are providing the greatest positive impact on nature:

“We are deploying a new mindset in our approach to biodiversity, where the identified and recommended actions are prioritized according to their effects on the financial and practical framework of the solar park. In other words, we should use the money and resources where the greatest gains are achieved for nature with the simplest and most cost-effective efforts. We must identify the actions that trigger the greatest synergy between the operation of the solar parks and nature – and then let nature do its work, because that is how we create the greatest success.”

In addition to the cooperation with Skjern Paper and EWII, the solar park is established in collaboration with Our New Energy and Energi Team as well as Sparekassen Kronjylland as a construction financing partner, and Mols Consulting, which is responsible for the biodiversity project related to the Lysabild solar park.