Smart grid and energy community pilot in Mussalo, Kotka

The energy transition from fossil fuels to intermittent renewable energy sources poses new requirements for the electricity system. For example, peat production and combustion in Finland is being replaced by wind and solar power. Port of Mussalo in the City of Kotka, Finland, provides a unique environment to pilot an industrial-scale smart grid where renewable energies are integrated into a smart and flexible local energy system.  

The objective of the project is to study how peat production in the Kymenlaakso region can increasingly be replaced by grid-connected wind and solar power. Especially, industrial-scale solar power is of greatest interest locally as the Finnish Defence Forces have restricted the expansion of wind power in Eastern Finland. 

The project focuses on a local electricity system on Mussalo island, where the port operator HaminaKotka Port with the surrounding logistics operators and other industries form a unique environment for testing renewable energy, energy storage and smart grid technologies on an industrial scale. There is already onshore wind and rooftop solar power production on the island, and there are plans to start production of biogas, green hydrogen and synthetic methane. Moreover, the stakeholders strive to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by electrifying their operations. 

Energy transition from the system based on combustion of peat and fossil fuels to a clean energy system based on wind, solar and nuclear power calls for improvements in energy efficiency, electrification of industrial processes, smart control of the transmission and distribution networks, utilization of energy storages, production of synthetic fuels (e-fuels) and advanced control of the overall energy system.

New market rules facilitating electricity trading between local producers and consumers are needed for the efficient use of the local wind and solar power production. Such an energy community is presently permitted only within a single property, but not within a larger industrial area.

The area of Mussalo island provides an excellent environment for piloting smart grid technologies and an industrial energy community. The combination of renewable energy production and electrified working machines with the plans for renewable fuel production,