The installed wind power capacity in Finland was 197 MW at the end of 2011. The 130 turbines installed will produce approximately 500 GWh of electricity which stands for about 0,5 % of the total electricity consumption in 2011. The installed capacity and electricity production from wind turbines are plotted in Figure 1.
Figure 1. The installed capacity and electricity production of wind turbines in Finland.
The amount of installed wind power capacity in Finland is rather low compared to that of other European countries. However, Finland has a national target of an annual wind power production of 6 TWh by the year 2020. The capacity in Finland is low, but Finnish wind power expertise is considerable on the global market. The wind power industry employs over 3000 people in Finland today. This number will double several times in the near future as the wind power expands.
The wind turbines are mostly located in the coastal areas of Finland due to favorable wind conditions, see Figure 2. The turbines are concentrated to places with suitable infrastructure, such as harbors. Another interesting area for wind power is the mountainous northern part of Finland. These sites require good planning as the reachability, especially in winter-time, can be a challenge. For more information about the location of turbines, check our Google Map - Turbines.
Figure 2. Location of wind farms in Finland.
The introduction of the feed-in tariff in March 2011 has led to a rush for the best wind sites. In January 2012 there were 185 published projects, the total capacity of which is about 4800 MW onshore and 3000 MW offshore. Most of the projects are located along the coastline. Although, the Finnish Wind Atlas published in 2009, has indicated that the wind resource is also enough inland for the development of wind power.
For more details about the location of projects and projects sizes, check the map in Figure 3 and our Google Map - Projects.
Figure 3. Location of wind power projects in Finland.