As part of the Enercracy project, Green Net Finland participated in a study visit to Blekinge, Sweden, organized by the Municipality of Karlskrona and Energikontor Syd, the Energy Agency for Southern Sweden, together with partners from Estonia, Latvia and Poland. The visit, organized on October 23, 2025, showed how local cooperation between different parties can accelerate the energy transition.
ENERGIKONTOR SYD organized a guided tour of Karlskrona city center for us on October 22, 2025 (see photo collage 1) before the actual project meeting and study visits.
Photo collage 1. Views from the Karlskrona tour.
The next morning, October 23, 2025, the group set off from the Scandic Karlskrona hotel in the morning. The first stop was Karlskrona Solar Park (see photo collage 2), a cooperative solar park built on a landfill site that was closed over 50 years ago and has over 400 members. The land at the landfill site was so contaminated that no other use had been found for it. The solar panels were installed in a special way, to wit above-ground on plastic pallets. This solution was decided upon because excavation work is not allowed in the area, and so the so-called traditional buried support poles are not allowed. The members of the Karlskrona Solar Park cooperative include the local electricity grid company Affärsverken, local organizations and natural persons. We were given a guided tour of the solar park by Anna Hammartorp, Business Area Manager Energy, Affärsverken. According to her, the biggest technical problems in operating the solar park are related to the inverters, which are of poor quality. They have had to replace one of the four inverters installed, even though the park is still relatively new. The first part of the park was put into operation in 2019. Another challenge in operation is related to the members’ desire to sell off their shares, and it is difficult to find new members to replace them.
Photo collage 2. Views from a visit to Karlskrona Solar Park.
The second destination of the tour was the Blekinge Vindkraft wind farm in Ramdala (photo collage 3). Our guide at the site was Per-Ola Frisell, who is a co-owner of the cooperative in question. This wind farm is one of Blekinge Vindkraft’s four power plants. The Blekinge Vindkraft cooperative was founded in 2001, initiated by Per-Ola’s father. According to Per-Ola, the biggest challenge and a detractor from financial profitability has been the network fee charged by the local electricity grid company for feeding production into the grid since last year. The cooperative has about 240 co-owners. In addition to this power plant, there are three other turbines in the same area, with the owners of which this Blekinge Vindkraft cooperative cooperates. For example, when the price of electricity is negative or too low, they agree among themselves whose power plant will be shut down to avoid unnecessary network charges. The resulting revenue is shared between the partners. This is a good example of cooperation!
Photo collage 3. Views from a visit to Blekinge Vindkraft’s Ramdala wind farm.
The third destination we visited was Södra Cell in Mörrum (photo collage 4), one of the largest fiber mills in the region. Energy coordinator Daniella Johansson gave us a very interesting presentation. Södra Cell has developed a framework for utilizing waste-based heat in the district heating network of the nearby city of Karlshamn. Approximately 93% of the city’s district heating is supplied by Södra Cell Mörrum. This initiative is an excellent example of industrial symbiosis and how industry can contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from energy systems.
Photo collage 4. Views from a visit to Södra Cell’s Mörrum factory.
On the way back to Karlskrona, Ulf Hansson from Blekinge County Council gave us an inspiring presentation about the Hällaryd Energy Cooperative, a good example of how a small rural community can develop sustainable district heating. The municipality’s buildings are heated by a combination of 40 boreholes and ground source heat pumps, supplemented by solar energy and heat recovery systems. The initiative emphasizes the importance of adapting energy solutions to local conditions and involving stakeholders in the process.
Key conclusion of the study visit:
The technical implementation and scalability of the energy transition can be enhanced and strengthened by integrating three key elements:
- Community engagement: By increasing the participation of local actors and citizens in project ownership and decision-making.
- Long-term resource planning: By ensuring the technical and financial sustainability of projects and their integration into existing energy and infrastructure systems.
- Shared responsibility and implementation: By creating operating models that ensure risk and benefit sharing among project stakeholders, which improves the implementation rate.
Blog author: Evilina Lutfi | Green Net Finland ry | Project Manager in the #Enercracy project (GNF’s contribution)