As Oy Lahti Lehtuusu: Electric cars are charged with the sun
Several solar panels were installed on the roof of As Oy Lahti Lehtikuusen.
How to combine solar panels and electric car charging? This was the question Vesa Lempinen, Chairman of the Board of As. Oy Lahden Lehtikuusen, pondered when electric car charging equipment was installed in the housing company in 2021.
As. Oy Lahden Lehtikuusi is a housing company completed in 2017, where electric car charging became a topic of interest among residents after completion and the board began to receive inquiries about charging solutions. After conducting research, Vesa Lempinen decided on the eParking system and slow charging devices on the recommendation of a local contractor, and the plug-in charging devices were put into use in July 2021. The housing company received ARA support for the purchase.
The charging devices serve both electric car drivers and residents using block heaters. The eParking application has received particular praise, which allows you to start and schedule the heating remotely and eliminates the need to go out into the dark and cold to adjust the clock on the pole. The housing company has a total of 34 parking spaces, all of which are equipped with slow charging devices. Currently, six residents are charging their electric cars, and many are considering switching to a rechargeable car in the coming years.
Lempinen has often been asked why the housing company did not decide on faster charging devices. According to him, the decision was economically sound: electric cars are parked for long periods of time, and slow charging during the night provides enough power for the next day's driving. The housing company also has two guest spaces that have been built with charging device readiness. Lempinen thinks that a faster charging device could be purchased for them in the future for guests and residents.
Solar panels benefit housing companies by netting small-scale production
As Oy Lahden Lehtikuuse decided to purchase solar panels to reduce the property's electricity consumption and improve the housing company's environmentally friendly image. The decision was not only based on financial benefits, but also on ecological values and the interests of the residents.
The housing company's chairman of the board, Vesa Lempinen, was particularly interested in the netting of small-scale production, which became possible in Finland at the beginning of 2021 and was introduced in Lahti at the beginning of 2023. In netting, the electricity produced by solar panels is directly deducted from the housing company's electricity consumption, and only the difference is shown on the electricity bill. If production exceeds consumption, the excess electricity is sold to the grid. As soon as netting became possible in Lahti, the housing company moved forward with the purchase of solar panels. The decision was made in the fall of 2022, and the panels were installed in April 2023.
Although electric cars are not charged directly from the solar panels, the panels produce electricity for the housing company's general consumption points all year round. The goal is for the solar panels to cover about half of the housing company's annual electricity consumption of 30,000 kWh. The estimated annual production of the solar panels is about 15,000 kWh. Production is higher in the summer, and Lempinen has encouraged electric car chargers to use sunny daytime hours for charging; then charging is both the most ecological and the most economical for the housing company.
The housing company wanted to avoid the high loan costs associated with purchasing solar panels. Instead, the costs were covered by a small additional fee based on living space for a few months, as well as a maintenance fee and a surplus from the consideration. In addition, the housing company gradually generates income by selling surplus electricity to the grid.
Solar panels benefit all residents of the housing association
Lempinen can warmly recommend purchasing solar panels for housing associations. It is worth including an expert in the discussion, as many things affect the purchase of solar panels in housing associations. For example, mandatory safety devices on the roof set limits for solar panels. The size of the roof and the property's electricity consumption should also be taken into account and the solar panel system should be sized accordingly. Sizing is also important in terms of cost recovery: when solar panels are sized sensibly, costs remain moderate and the payback period is reasonable.
The introduction of solar panels has gone well. Residents understand that they benefit both the housing company and the residents, and many have already started charging their cars on sunny days with cheap, self-generated electricity. Although the solar panels are still a new addition to the housing company, the amount of electricity they produce is actively monitored. Lempinen reminds us that many factors affect production, so it is good to take a long-term approach and monitor the effects over time.
Vesa Lempinen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of As Oy Lahden Lehtikuusen, has been interviewed for the reference.
