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KNESS Baltic became a member of the Latvian solar association  “Saules enerģijai Latvijai” which brings together the leading players in the renewable energy market in the country.

The industry association, founded in 2022, aims to develop the renewable electricity sector and create an ecosystem of uninterrupted energy supply in Latvia. We are convinced that cooperation with industry colleagues will facilitate the introduction of advanced technologies and the scaling of green energy capacities in the region. Therefore, we are happy to share our expertise and experience and join forces for a common goal.

Moving together to a clean energy future!☀️

A new solar power plant with a capacity of 10.6 MW will soon emerge in western Latvia! 

KNESS Baltic team, as the general contractor, has begun construction of a solar power plant in Kuldiga district. The photovoltaic modules will be installed on metal structures manufactured in Ukraine by KNESS. The facility is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 16,128 tons annually. 

Every day we are getting closer to the moment when the new energy facility will start generating megawatts of clean energy for the country.

PV.SCADA by KNESS is recognized as one of the best transformational CX-solutions in Ukraine

KNESS presented its in-house PV.SCADA solution at the first all-Ukrainian customer experience award UKRAINIAN CX EXCELLENCE’2024 and got 2nd place in the Best Transformational CX Solution nomination.

It is a pleasure to be among powerful Ukrainian and international businesses that are ready for the most creative changes in their service approach for their customers’ comfort.

“Clean Energy of Partnership” is a guiding principle for KNESS Group in building trusting relationships with customers based on transparency of our actions, equality, innovation, comprehensive services and quality results. This approach has allowed us to create a convenient and reliable PV.SCADA software and hardware complex for monitoring and efficient management of solar power plants.

“When developing our products, we always focus on the customers’ needs and strive to find the most successful innovative solutions. When we started developing  PV.SCADA system (2017), we were performing typical process automation in an atypical way, using classic IT tools to create a SCADA product. And in 2021, we created our own neural network to automate routine tasks and integrated it into the product.  PV.SCADA tool is a qualitative result of a combination of ideas from employees and customers. The joint work made it possible to create and constantly modernize a truly unique and comprehensive solution in terms of functionality — a monitoring tool that is convenient for both our employees and external customers,” said Bohdan Kozachuk, Head of the Automated Process Systems Development Department in KNESS.

“PV.SCADA is a striking example of flexibility and openness in the provision of O&M services for renewable energy facilities, as it allows us to respond in a timely manner to deviations in the operation of each electrical installation, and for KNESS clients, owners of renewable energy facilities, technical staff or dispatch centers — to receive online data on the state of the facility, control the quality and efficiency of KNESS services in a convenient format for any period,” explains Sehii Mysenko, Deputy Technical Director for Operations in KNESS.

We thank our team for their hard work, our clients for their trust and motivation to improve, and the jury for their appreciation of our case. 

Committed to continuous improvement in order to accelerate the energy systems transformation towards an increase in the renewable energy share.

Photos used in this post are provided by the event organizers – KA Group

KNESS Baltic’s new project is a 3.5 MW solar power plant implemented on a general contract basis. The newly built facility is located near the town of Aloja in northern Latvia and is already generating electricity for the grid.

Project details ⬇️

🔸 5320 solar panels installed on metal structures manufactured by KNESS 

🔸 average electricity generation exceeds 3,505,875 kWh per year

🔸 CO2 emission reduction is  3,444 tons per year

We continue to decarbonize Latvia’s energy sector by increasing the solar generation share together with Volterra Energy Group.

In the north of Latvia, a ground-based solar power plant with a peak capacity of 2.7 MW has started generating clean electricity. 

This is another facility that KNESS Baltic team has implemented on a general contract basis, making another contribution to accelerating the decarbonization of the energy sector and following the principles of sustainable development. The customer of the facility is Volterra Energy Group.

The newly constructed 3-hectare solar power plant is located near the village of Valka and supporting metal structures manufactured by KNESS have been used in the course of the project. Facility’s generation will reduce CO2 emissions by 2,597 tons annually.

Currently, the total project pipeline of KNESS Baltic team in Latvia is more than 55 MW. The facilities are at different implementation stages. And very soon we will share information about the new megawatts implemented, which will increase the total share of renewable energy in the country.

KNESS Baltic has started implementing two more turnkey projects with a total peak capacity of about 10 MW. The future ground-based solar power plants will be installed in the towns of Dundaga and Vilyaki using Ukrainian mounting structures manufactured by KNESS.

Vilnis Ķeiris, metal structures installer from KNESS Baltic team working on the construction of one of the solar power plants, shared his impressions of the process (translated from Latvian):

“Renewable energy is developing very dynamically in Latvia today, as this industry makes it possible to reduce the cost of electricity while protecting the environment. Solar power plants are the result of our work, which will allow us to use solar energy efficiently. In this matter, we are keeping up with the times and making a significant contribution to the future. Our team appreciates everyone’s efforts, and I work with true professionals who are responsive and friendly. I feel my growth in this area, there are all the opportunities for this. And the amount of work gives a sense of stability and coherence. I am proud to be part of the KNESS Baltic team.”

Jānis Kaspars, who also work as metal structures installer in KNESS Baltic, admitted (translated from Latvian):

“It is an important step towards a sustainable and environmentally friendly energy future. Working on the construction of solar power plants is an opportunity for me to contribute to the development of new and modern energy generation sources that reduce dependence on fossil fuels and environmental pollution. Also, it’s an opportunity to be part of something bigger and positive for the benefit of our environment and future generations. I feel that my work contributes directly to improving the sustainability of Latvia’s energy system and reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. I’m proud of my role and involvement in decarbonizing the energy sector and contributing to the country’s transition towards sustainable energy.”

The total peak capacity of all solar power plants in KNESS Baltic’s portfolio is more than 44 MW, some of which have already been implemented (20.5 MW). There is more to come. Each new RES project is another step towards a green transition.

Spring is a time of revival and new beginnings. Right now, when there are more and more sunny days and daylight hours, we are starting turnkey construction of new solar power plants in Latvia. We are planning to put the power facilities into operation in the summer, at the peak of solar activity.

KNESS Baltic team is currently setting up the construction of two power facilities with a total capacity of 14.3 MW. 420 tons of steel structures by KNESS have already been manufactured and delivered to the construction sites. More than 20 thousand solar modules will be installed on them, generating approximately 14,956,285 kWh annually. In the future, the solar plant will reduce CO2 emissions by 14,692 tons per year. 

With every new solar panel installed, every megawatt, we are one step closer to a clean, safe, energy-independent future!

Today, KNESS Baltic’s project portfolio includes 35 MW of solar capacity, 20.5 MW of which have already been implemented. There is more to come!

KNESS experts took part in the Solarplaza Summit Baltics to discuss new opportunities for the solar energy sector development in the Baltic States. The event became a platform for fruitful networking and brought together solar energy experts, leading market players, developers, equipment manufacturers, investors, etc. Tetiana Petrovska, Head of Marketing at KNESS, and Andrii Kalinovskyi, Director of KNESS Baltic, joined the discussion.

Implementing a large-scale energy market reform to synchronise the grid with mainland Europe entails new challenges, such as limited grid capacity and land suitable for solar power plants. That’s why the main discussion panels at Solarplaza Summit Baltics were dedicated to innovative technologies and finding solutions for large-scale projects.

“The dynamic development of solar energy in the Baltic States is attracting more and more stakeholders, including KNESS Group. KNESS Baltic already has experience in the turnkey implementation and maintenance of solar projects in Latvia with a total capacity of 20.5 MW. At the same time, we rely on 15 years of experience, which includes, among other things, design, construction and maintenance of solar power plants with a total capacity of more than 1.4 GW, the largest of which are 63 MW and 90 MW. In addition, we are familiar with advanced technologies in the energy sector thanks to the KNESS RnD Centre and have a successful experience of cooperation with international financial institutions. Therefore, we are enthusiastic about sharing our experience with colleagues to further develop the industry.” – said Andrii Kalinovskyi, Director of KNESS Baltic.

KNESS Baltic is actively developing the Operation & Maintenance direction of industrial solar power plants. Thus, in addition to implementing industrial solar power plants as a general contractor, the company also provides comprehensive operational, technical and dispatch management of the facilities. Currently, the total capacity of the stations under regular maintenance by KNESS Baltic is 20.5 MW and the company continues to develop a new direction and deepen its experience and expertise in a fairly narrow market segment.

“European quality standards, innovative approach, technology, expertise, extensive experience, and specialised team qualifications have allowed us to gradually develop in the market for the construction and comprehensive maintenance of industrial solar power plants. We have implemented an integrated management system (IMS) and have been certified for compliance with international ISO standards. We are reinforced by the KNESS centralised dispatch centre, which, thanks to the PV.SCADA software solution developed by our own RnD, remotely monitors the operation of SPPs around the clock, promptly responds to deviations and prevents generation losses. What’s more, PV.SCADA uses artificial intelligence to automate the process of analysing equipment operation at a solar power plant. This is about an individual approach to each facility and providing a comprehensive service. And we are always looking for new solutions, using new technologies, investing resources in improvement, modernisation, and enhancement, strengthening our reputation as a reliable partner,” said Andrii Kalinovsky, Director of KNESS Baltic. 

KNESS has enabled the PV.SCADA software package to interact with the pan-European international energy platform Nord Pool AS to operate in the Latvian market with reference to the current hourly electricity price. This allows to improve the financial model of generation facilities. The team also enabled the distribution system operator “Sadales tikls”, which is responsible for the Latvian power system operation, to manage the level of SPP generation through the PV.SCADA.

As of the beginning of 2024, the total portfolio of facilities operated by KNESS comprises 134 industrial solar power plants with a total capacity of 1.48 GW. The largest solar power plants include facilities with a peak capacity of 63 MW and 91 MW, each covering more than 100 hectares.

The solar power plant “Ludza” with a peak capacity of 5 MW, which is located in the city of Ludza, has started generating energy. The facility was implemented by SIA KNESS Baltic under an EPC contract (general contract, which provides for turnkey construction of the solar plant).

The newly constructed station is:

•  5,085,696 kWh of clean energy per year. This amount could potentially be enough to provide clean energy to approximately 2,400 households.
•  7,616 qualitatively installed photovoltaic modules.
•  efficient utilization of 7.4 hectares of land unsuitable for agricultural purposes.
•  4,996 tons less CO2 emissions per year into the atmosphere.

Team of SIA KNESS Baltic completed the entire range of design, construction, installation and commissioning works in just 3 months. The process of commissioning and obtaining all necessary documentation for electricity supply took about 2 months. This is already the third project in Latvia, successfully implemented by SIA KNESS Baltic. The first two projects were built in the cities of Valdemārpils and Auce. The investor of the solar plant is Volterra Energy Group, a company engaged in renewable energy development and investment management. The group focuses on solar energy, wind energy, small hydropower, energy storage technologies and waste-to-energy technologies. The total installed capacity of all Volterra Energy Group projects exceeds 200 MW.

“Each megawatt installed is a significant step towards the development of solar energy in the country. Together with Volterra Energy Group we help to bring the energy transition closer and continue to develop renewable energy,” said Andrii Kalinovskyi, CEO of SIA KNESS Baltic.

Efficient operation of the power plant will be ensured by continuous monitoring of the main equipment’s condition, which will be performed round-the-clock by the service team of SIA KNESS Baltic.

At this point, the total portfolio of KNESS projects in Latvia amounts to about 50 MW, 20,5 MW of which have already been implemented. The other projects are in different implementation phases. They are planned to be put into operation in the first quarter of 2024. The total portfolio of implemented renewable energy projects by KNESS amounts to more than 1.2 GW in Ukraine and 79 MW under implementation in Poland.