Aerial view of a solar power plant on a hayfield near the village of Aasen, Donaueschingen, Germany. The power plant consists of vertical bifacial solar panel walls. The 4.1 MWp solar farm covers an area of 14 hectares, of which approximately 90% remains available for agricultural use. The 10-meter spacing between panel rows allows for the operation of agricultural machinery. Photo: Tobi Kellner, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0
Discussion on Solar Power Land Use and Regulation – RealSolar Project Event
On Monday, January 13, 2025, the RealSolar project hosted a discussion on the land use and regulation of solar power plant construction. The event was highly comprehensive in terms of both participants and topics. Among many excellent presentations, insights, and speeches, I want to highlight one key point:
If we want solar power to become a significant energy source in Finland, unused land, abandoned industrial areas, rooftops, and building facades alone will not be enough—we must also allow solar power construction in commercial forests and agricultural areas where appropriate.
A developer of large-scale solar power projects attending the event stated that they had indeed searched for unused land, but large enough plots of such land are not readily available. Since unused land is generally cheaper than land in economic use, it would naturally be the top choice for project developers if it were sufficiently available.
Agrovoltaics – Combining Solar Power and Agriculture
When building solar power on agricultural land, it is always worth considering the possibility of co-producing electricity and agricultural products. In the best-case scenario, the overall benefit is greater than either solar power or agriculture alone. This is being studied within the RealSolar project, and some implementations of this model already exist in Finland (the news article is in Finnish), particularly in livestock farming.
Figure 1: In agrovoltaic systems, vertically installed panels can sometimes be the best solution. This image is from a presentation by researcher Magda Szarek from the University of Turku at the event.
Mika Suontlahti has also examined the possibilities and research needs of agrovoltaics in his bachelor’s thesis. He suggested that in Finland, the most viable options could be the combination of grazing and solar power plants or crop cultivation between panel rows, rather than installing panels as partially shading canopies over cultivated land.
Solar Farms in Commercial Forests
One argument against building solar farms in commercial forests is the concern that removing the trees would eliminate their carbon sink. However, the carbon footprint reduction achieved through solar power is easily 100 times greater than the average Finnish commercial forest’s carbon sequestration capability. I have written about this before: https://juhakarhu.fi/talousmetsiin-tulee-voida-rakentaa-aurinkopuistoja/.
Additionally, solar panel technology has advanced to the point where, even in Finland, panels can now produce the same amount of energy in about a year as was used in their production (Figure 2).
Figure 2: The energy payback time for solar panels manufactured in Europe is shorter than that of panels produced in China. This image is from a presentation by lecturer Samuli Ranta from Turku University of Applied Sciences.
The land-use impact of solar power was also well illustrated by a calculation presented at the event by Professor Tommi Ekholm from the Finnish Meteorological Institute. If Finland were to produce 10% of its current annual electricity consumption using solar power installed in forests, it would occupy less than 0.1% of Finland’s forest area (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Even a significant amount of solar power requires very little land area. At the beginning of 2025, Finland had approximately 1 GW of solar power, covering about 1% of the country’s electricity consumption. Even if this capacity were increased tenfold, the land required for solar power would still be less than 0.1% of Finland’s forest area. This image is from a presentation by Professor Tommi Ekholm of the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
Another potential drawback of placing solar farms in commercial forests is the impact on recreational use, including hiking, berry-picking, mushroom-picking, hunting, and access to traditional gathering areas. For this reason, large solar power plants should be located far from urban areas, where such impacts would be minimized. Even in these cases, large solar farm areas should include pathways to facilitate recreational use, such as trails or even boardwalks! This approach is being taken in Ulvila at the Kaasmarkku and Harjunpää solar farm areas (Figure 4). These pathways also serve as ecological corridors, allowing wildlife to move freely.
Figure 4: Solar power plants in Kaasmarkku and Harjunpää, where nature and recreation corridors are included. This image is from a presentation by Juha Virolainen, Head of Urban Planning in Ulvila.
Potential Challenges?
I am not familiar with the agricultural subsidy system, but it likely has not yet accounted for the potential of co-production in agrovoltaic systems. This could present challenges. Meanwhile, Finland’s Ministry of the Environment is preparing policies and regulations for the industry based on the current government program. The policy outlines an aim to avoid significant use of active agricultural and forestry land for solar power production. However, how this policy is interpreted remains unclear.
My own position is that solar power should not be built on areas with high ecological value. On the contrary, solar power could, in some cases, aid in habitat restoration and biodiversity enhancement. Large solar farms should also not be built near urban areas if they hinder, for example, the recreational use of nearby forests. Valuable cultural landscapes should especially be preserved from solar power installations. Despite these restrictions, Finland has ample space for large solar farms in commercial forests, agricultural fields, and former peat production areas.
Smart Regulation Instead of Restrictive Policies
My hope is that ignorance or poorly justified regulations do not limit the sector solely to built environments. Solar power construction can bring significant economic vitality to regions that urgently need it. Moreover, it can be developed with minimal emissions and few drawbacks—provided it is well-regulated and properly planned.
This is in the best interest of all of Finland, including us city dwellers.