A Smoother Permission Process

Maveplan has been involved in several solar energy projects with Skarta.

– Soil investigation and water management are core activities for Maveplan, and both are also important parts of the permission process.

Pictured: Simo Rintakari, Project Manager at Skarta Energy Oy

According to Simo, the permission process has become smoother thanks to an expert partner and solar energy projects having become more common.

– Solar projects are no longer compared to wind projects so much, and the precautionary principle is no longer so strict. Permit applications will also receive a response within a reasonable timeframe now.

A high-quality soil investigation and water management plan give the option for providing more specific information at different stages, so that the permission process can progress at a good pace and key parties can be assured that detailed attention is being paid to different issues.

– The soil investigations and the water management plan allow us to provide more detailed answers to the ELY Centre, the relevant municipalities and, if necessary, the AVI if more details are required on e.g. catchment areas.

Skarta has opted for open drainage in several solar power projects. There are clear arguments for this solution compared to subsurface drainage.

– A solar park project must be considered as a whole in terms of costs. Open drainage contributes to cost control as it’s a more economical solution. It’s also easier for the authorities to deal with. The aim of the new open drainage, or modifications to existing open drainage, is not to create additional drainage in the project areas but to maintain the current level of water management, says Simo Rintakari at Skarta Energy.

Topi Malinen, Project Manager at Maveplan Oy, Discusses Soil Investigations and Tensile Testing

Soil Investigations:

• In general, preliminary data on the soil in the investigated area are available in advance from maps by the Geological Survey of Finland. Open data is used to plan and target soil investigations.
• A soil investigation is typically required as an annex to a building permit or project permit based on local building control requirements. Accurate soil investigations are also useful during the tendering phase to make comparing the bids easier.
• Various methods are used to investigate soil compaction, such as pressure borehole drilling, pressure reflector borehole drilling, and wing borehole drilling.
• The investigation will provide data on the soil’s load-bearing capacity, which will be used to make recommendations not only on the establishment of the solar panel field, but also on the foundations for roads and converter stations.
• Acid sulphate soil analyses are typically carried out in conjunction with soil investigations. Acid sulphate soil analyses aim to determine the impact of a project on downstream water bodies, and they are often required as an annex to a drainage notice.

The Purpose and Methodology of Tensile Testing:

• Typically, the highest loads on solar panels are wind and frost loads.
• Tensile testing is carried out to determine the actual capacity of the pile used under the soil conditions in the area.
• Rated load data is often supplied by the panel rack’s manufacturer.
• Pile foundations are typically used for panel foundations. The tensile tests are carried out by loading the screw pile in vertical and horizontal directions.
• The tensile test results in a force-displacement graph that can be used to estimate the capacity of the piles under the prevailing conditions.

Agronomist Markus Sikkilä at Maveplan Oy Discusses Water Management Planning

• There are two main aspects to water management planning: 1) The design defines drainage in a way that it allows construction in the area, and 2) the second main aspect of the design is the permission process and related environmental issues: the design may not cause water pollution and greenhouse emissions, and the project can obtain a permit for implementation.
• Adequately designed and implemented drainage and rainwater solutions will allow construction in the solar park area even in wet conditions, reducing the risk of delays in project schedules.
• Emissions from acidic soils can be controlled by raising water levels in the soil after construction is complete.
• In terms of permitting, the authorities have clear positions on the use of peat bogs for solar park construction, although there are regional differences in how specific the requirements are when it comes to e.g. making changes to drainage and water protection solutions.
• It is easy for the environmental authority to approve a project that has high-quality plans and well-founded design decisions.
• Rainwater planning will address the changes in water volumes as the soil is covered by solar panels, resulting in higher runoff peaks.
• Rainwater design is an important factor in large solar parks, as they accumulate vast volumes of water and the risks of flooding increase with size.
• In general, the thickness of the peat layer is an important and significant factor in water management planning when building on peat bogs; the thinner the peat layer, the easier it is to provide adequate drainage.
• The project’s budget often drives the decision whether to opt for open or subsurface drainage in a solar park area.
• Open drainage is less expensive than subsurface drainage, but maintenance and upkeep can be more laborious during the production phase (clearing willow thickets, etc.)
• When monitoring the water dynamics of a solar park, we often carry out a water monitoring programme to track the water quality.

Cooperation Brings Mutual Benefits

A large-scale project requires the expertise of several parties and excellent overall project management. Simo says that they are responsible for guiding the design of the project during the project development phase, and this is also the case with Maveplan’s soil investigations and water management planning.

– Maveplan’s responsiveness makes our work easier. We have a single point of contact for getting answers and the necessary reactions quickly. Projects such as these always require some adjustments to the plans. Maveplan has done its part according to its schedule. Everything has gone smoothly with them.

Simo says that Maveplan’s strengths include soil investigation, sampling, and water management planning.

– We also get a schedule for their work. Our choice of partners is influenced by which companies we know from experience to be reliable, says Simo Rintakari, Project Manager for solar power development at Skarta.

Cooperation with Maveplan is also set to continue.

– We have already had meetings with them to discuss further work.

Skarta Energy focuses on industrial-scale solar power projects. With a familiar partner, you can build on the shared experience from previous projects, but in practice, we always start projects from scratch.

– Soils vary from case to case, and the results of their investigations will influence how the project is carried out. We are looking for and studying suitable sites to continue our chain of solar power projects every day, says Simo Rintakari, Project Manager at Skarta.