Finland's third largest solar power plant cools 100 tonnes of salmon
Finnair Cargo's COOL terminal handles hundreds of tons of shipments every day, containing items ranging from aircraft parts to live animals or vital medical materials.
The terminal must be able to store tons of products that may require a certain temperature. In addition, smart solutions must be found for storing and loading products. All this requires a lot from both spaces and systems – and, of course, energy.
The COOL terminal includes, among other things, an automated cargo storage space, which is optimised based on flight data. COOL has received a rating of "Very good" in the international BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) classification system for construction.
"The terminal covers approximately 31,000 square metres, including temperature-controlled cool rooms. The temperature is monitored around the clock, and food items or temperature-sensitive medicines can be stored on the premises," says Tommi Voss, who is responsible for Cargo operations.
Finnair Cargo makes tailor-made transport solutions for companies' needs. For example, an individual process has been created for transporting Norwegian salmon and crabs. Every day, temperature-controlled trucks containing Norwegian salmon, king crab and other products drive to Cargo's terminal. From the COOL terminal, most of the products will continue to Japan, China and Korea.
"Most of the trucks arrive in the morning and continue on the same day as cargo on our long-haul flights. In order for customers to get fresh salmon on their tables, our logistics chain, temperature-regulated, must work seamlessly," Voss continues.
During the construction phase of the terminal, 1200 solar panels were installed on its roof generating 10% of the terminal's operating energy. During the summer and autumn of 2023, the number of solar panels has been increased by 1790 new panels. Once completed, Finnair Cargo will operate Finland's third largest solar power plant.
"We can more than triple the electricity output. This means that on good, sunny days, our solar power plant produces enough electricity to cover the entire Finnair Cargo facility. We can even feed surplus electricity to meet the needs of other Finnair facilities," says Arne Ziessler, Finnair's Head of Facilities.
1.1 Megawatt peaks celebrate Finnair’s centenary
In addition to the cargo terminal, Finnair will install 645 solar panels on the roof of one of its aircraft maintenance hangars, producing 355 kilowatt peaks for the hangar's energy needs. The installation work is expected to be completed by the beginning of November, when Finnair celebrates its 100th anniversary.
"The solar panels are on the roofs of two buildings and their combined peak output is about 1.1 MW. Finnair has carried out many sustainability initiatives to celebrate the anniversary, and this feels like icing on the cake," smiles Ziessler.