Electricity equivalent to a nuclear power reactor could be produced in the country if all solar parks awaiting permits were approved, according to a new report.
This corresponds to the consumption of nearly one and a half million households.
In two weeks, Sweden’s largest solar park with an output of 22 megawatts will be inaugurated on Henrik Larsén’s land outside Västerås. The area is a fallow land that is not suitable for growing grain.
– From the beginning I was doubtful. Then I realized that I had this land that is located at the far end of the property near the highway and that has no other suitable use, he says.
Interest in building solar energy parks is growing. During the first half of this year, 219 new consultations regarding solar parks in Sweden were notified. That is 60 percent more than during the same period in 2022.
– With the challenges we have in getting away from oil dependence, we have to produce more electricity, and that electricity has to be produced somewhere, says Henrik Larsén.
Stuck in bureaucracy
But many plans for solar power get stuck in the mills of bureaucracy. Right now, parks equivalent to the power of a nuclear power reactor are awaiting approval from the county administrations. That is as much as the electricity needs of almost one and a half million households.
This is evident from a survey from the Solar Park Network.
– We have a huge need for new electricity production in Sweden in the coming years, and we have had an electricity crisis that has resulted in high electricity prices for the country’s consumers and companies, says Madeleine van der Veer, spokesperson for the Solar Park Network.
– In that situation, we need to build new electricity production quickly and then solar parks can be the solution because they can be built so quickly, says Madeleine van der Veer who is spokesperson for the Solar Park Network, she continues.