Sunly and Metsagrupp’s Raba 45 MW solar park in Põhja-Pärnumaa has been operating at full capacity for over a year. Next spring, a 21 MW / 45 MWh battery storage facility will be added next to it, making Raba the largest solar park with battery storage in Estonia.
We brought together partners involved in the Raba solar park to discuss the already-operating park and the upcoming battery addition. When running at full capacity, the Raba solar park can cover the annual electricity consumption of about 13,000 households. Adding a battery will further increase the benefits for electricity consumers.
According to Sunly’s board member and Head of Development and Production, Erkki Kallas, hybrid parks combine several technologies at one connection point, which makes construction more efficient – faster grid connection and lower infrastructure costs. The same strategy is applied in other countries where Sunly develops renewable energy parks. “Adding storage to solar and wind parks makes it possible to shift part of the production to times when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing,” Kallas explained.
Next to the existing solar park, a battery facility with 12 containers and a capacity of 21 MW / 45 MWh will be built. The battery park will balance production and consumption and help support grid stability by participating in the frequency reserve market. The system will use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry, which has not been used in Estonia before. The battery system will have a lifespan of over 16 years. The storage equipment will arrive in Estonia at the end of this year, and the battery park is expected to be completed in spring 2026.
In addition to the Raba hybrid park, we are also developing the Maima wind park near Pärnu-Jaagupi in Põhja-Pärnumaa municipality. Its 6–8 turbines could in the future cover the electricity needs of 45,000–60,000 households. Similar to Raba, battery storage will also be added to the Maima wind park.
For all Sunly development projects, building good relationships with the local community is essential. The municipality receives 0.6% of the Raba park’s revenue, which is an important contribution to the development of local life. Under a cooperation agreement soon to be signed with Põhja-Pärnumaa municipality, residents living near the Maima wind park will be offered electricity at a discounted price of 4.9 cents per kilowatt-hour once the park is completed. Locals can already join the Sunly electricity package today, ensuring a smooth transition to lower electricity prices when the park becomes operational. Sunly is also building a 10 MW direct power line to the Halinga business area and contributing 300,000 euros for the construction of local infrastructure projects.
