Good Practice - Project
Development of wind measuring services in Finland
Innovative wind measuring services diversify Finnish family farm business and rural economy.
General information
RDP Priority
- P6. Social inclusion and local development
RDP Focus Area
- 6A: Diversification & job creation
RDP Measure
- M06: Farm & business development
Beneficiary type
- Small-Micro Enterprise
Summary
Wind power in Finland has been the fastest growing source of electricity in recent years. The Tuori family set up the first wind turbine on their farm in 2004. The experience they gained led to them establishing a company that provides wind measurement services, which includes the rental, installation and maintenance of wind measurement equipment. In 2019, when there was a great increase in the construction of wind turbines, the Tuori family decided to use CAP support to purchase new high-quality sound detection and ranging equipment (SoDAR). This was to improve the quality of their services and replace the expensive and hard-to-set-up wind measurement masts, which had to be moved between different development sites.
Results
- The new device can measure wind profiles from a height of 40-200 metres in five-metre intervals. This enables the collection of enough data for modern 4 megawatts wind turbines.
- The company has been able to support the development of sites with up to 100 wind turbines.
- Since 2019, the company’s turnover has grown to EUR 310 000 and the company provides employment for both father and son.
Promoter
PT-Wind Oy
Funding
Total budget: 40 000 (EUR)
EAFRD: 3 360 (EUR)
National/Regional: 4 640(EUR)
Private/own: 32 000 (EUR)
Ressourcen
Documents
Good Practice Report - Development of wind measuring services in Finland
(PDF – 976.66 KB)
Links
Context
In recent years, wind power has become one of the fastest growing sources of renewable energy. In 2023, following a production capacity increase of 1.3 gigawatts that enabled a 25% increase in wind energy production, Finland was able to meet 18.2% of its annual electricity needs using wind power.
The boom in wind turbine construction has presented growth opportunities to many rural companies and farms. Pertti and Bruuno Tuori are the father-and-son owners of the Koppelo farm in the Suodenniemi village in southwestern Finland. The experience of setting up their first wind turbine in 2004 inspired the Tuori’s to launch their own company. PT-Wind Oy, which they established in 2010, specialises in wind measurement services, including rental, installation and maintenance. As the wind power sector continues to grow, so do the needs of PT-Wind Oy’s clients.
Objectives
To continue to meet the needs of their clients, the father-and-son owners of PT-Wind Oy sought to invest in new high-quality sound detection and ranging equipment. A SoDAR is a ground-based remote sensing instrument used to detect wind vertical profiles and gather turbulence data from the near ground up to several hundred meters. The acquisition of a SoDAR would improve the quality of the data gathered by the company and help PT-Wind Oy’s investor-clients to design and secure funding for their wind power parks.
Activities
The project activities included identifying and purchasing (from a Swedish provider) the mobile SODAR AQ510 Wind Finder, which is compatible with the IEC 61400-12-1:2017 standard wind measuring unit and transported by car.
Main results
- The new device can measure wind profiles from a height of 40-200 metres in five-metre intervals. It enables the collection of enough data for modern 4-megawatt wind turbines. The new technology replaces expensive wind measurement masts, which had to be set up at each development site.
- The company has been able to support the development of sites with up to 100 wind turbines and conducted measurements in Baltic countries, helping them catch up with the green transition.
- Thanks to the wind power construction boom in Finland, wind measuring has become a major source of additional income for the Koppelo family farm. Since 2019, their turnover has grown to EUR 310 000.
- Another positive side effect of the project was the construction of a new wind power park on the farm’s forest land. This park, which consists of three 4-megawatt wind turbines, involved a EUR 15 million investment in cooperation with Danish investors.
Key lessons
- Farmers must be ready to take advantage of new business opportunities that can enable them to diversify their income.
- To enter new sectors, it is also important to find the right partners who will provide the necessary expertise and equipment.
Our wind farm is open 24/7 for visitors. For example, horse riders go practicing on the roads that were built for the wind turbines. There is still lots of public resistance towards wind turbines, we must show and present these places to people, who often have false information.