A large-scale solar park is planned to be built west of the E4 motorway at the height of Strömsnäsbruk and Traryd in the municipality of Markaryd.
Pierre Lindgren's family has farmed the forest in Beterås, west of Traryd, for generations. Now Pierre will be the first in line to call himself a solar farmer as he will lease just over forty hectares of land to the energy company Ilmatar Solar AB for fifty years to come.
"There is very little forest on the land that I lease out today. I have another lot of forest left, and we're not going to touch it now," he says.
Suitable for photovoltaics
According to Pierre, the land in question is not suitable for production, which is why it is better suited for solar cells than for forests. He doesn't want to reveal how much return it brings, but he says that the agreement will give him an income annually for the next fifty years.
"This can be part of a larger social benefit, while also giving my family a financial incentive," he says.
The solar park will, according to the company, generate energy for 32,000 houses.
However, there are currently no permits from the Land and Environment Court. It is not until 2028, if everything goes according to plan, that construction of the solar park can begin.
Follow along to the clear-cut in the clip above and see where the solar panels will be installed on Pierre Lindgren's land.