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Santa goes green this Christmas Powered by Sharp Solar Panels


  • 135 NU-RD300 panels with a total power plant size of 40.5 kW were installed on three different buildings.
  • The goal of the project was to deliver a premium solar photovoltaics (PV) system to a client in the Arctic Circle that required the modules to withstand extreme temperature conditions.
  • The panels of the NU-RD series were chosen because of their ability to withstand those conditions as well as their sleek, black design. As the panels on the roofs are seen by the hotel guests, they should be visually appealing as well.
  • The cost of the whole project will amortise within nine years.

Using sustainable energy-sourcing in Santa Claus’s hometown

SantaPark is located in the capital of Lapland, Rovaniemi, known as the official hometown of Santa Claus in Northern Finland. The city offers a wide variety of Christmas-related attractions, including SantaPark and the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel. Both depend on snowy white winters to be enjoyed to the fullest; therefore, they care deeply for the fragile nature of the Arctic region. The installation of the solar panels drastically decreases the carbon footprint of the attractions, thereby also reducing the energy costs. The project started in April 2018, when Ilkka Länkinen (CEO SantaPark) met with Jouni Penttinen (CEO PlayGreen Finland Oy) at a Solar Fair in Helsinki. PlayGreen offered a design draft and a few weeks after the first contact, the deal was finalised. The installation was finished by early August 2018.

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