Waltikka optimizes energy use with a smart battery energy storage system

The hotel improves energy efficiency with smart energy storage that needs no owner oversight.

Located in Valkeakoski, Finland, Rantahotelli Waltikka has taken a significant step toward a more energy-efficient future. With the help of Cactos’ energy storage solution, the hotel saves on energy costs, reduces its carbon footprint, and generates revenue from the ancillary service markets.

The Cactos system works seamlessly with the hotel’s existing solar panels and air-to-water heat pumps, creating an intelligent entity that automatically optimizes the hotel’s energy use.

Summary

Customer: Rantahotelli Waltikka
Industry: Hospitality
Property details: 5,500 m², 83 rooms, 7 meeting rooms, 3 group workspaces, 2 restaurants, sauna complex
Installed solution: 2 x Cactos Fero (total 184 kW / 430 kWh)

Benefits of Cactos

Peak load management

Maintenance-free, automatically optimized system

Revenue from ancillary service markets

A nature-oriented family business in the heart of Valkeakoski

Founded in 1988, Rantahotelli Waltikka is set in stunning lakeside scenery on the shore of Lake Mallasvesi, just a 30-minute drive from Tampere.

Since 2019, Piia and Tomi Kuparinen have run the hotel with the aim of developing it to meet future requirements and needs.

“Waltikka is now the pride and joy of an energetic entrepreneurial family – there’s real heart in this,” says Tomi Kuparinen.

Step by step toward more efficient energy management

Environmental values and sustainable development are important to the Kuparinen family. The hotel’s rooftop solar panels produce up to 90 MWh of electricity annually, reducing the property’s carbon footprint by about 16,000 kg each year. Moving to Cactos’ battery energy storage system was a natural continuation of the hotel’s environmental work.

“Our cooperation with Cactos has gone smoothly from the start. I still remember the highly professional kickoff meeting, where we reviewed the data for our situation. This allowed the system to be optimized precisely for our needs and consumption,” Kuparinen explains.

A maintenance-free solution for a busy entrepreneur

Cactos’ battery energy storage system operates intelligently in the background – a major advantage for a hotel owner.

“The most important thing in this solution for a busy entrepreneur is that it’s maintenance-free. Cactos monitors our battery energy storage system and takes care of it,” says Kuparinen.

He enjoys following the system’s performance through the Cactos Spine application:

“The software does its job in the background without me needing to think about whether it’s cold or hot outside, what the spot price of electricity is, or what our consumption looks like. It’s a smart system.”

The results

The benefits for Waltikka were immediate:

“As soon as the installation was complete, we started seeing financial returns from the ancillary service markets. Peak loads are optimized, and when we move to spot pricing, we’ll get even more out of the system,” Kuparinen notes.

Improved peak load management

The system smooths out consumption peaks, lowering electricity transmission costs.

Maintenance-free system

Smart automation optimizes operations without the owner’s intervention.

Revenue from ancillary service markets

The battery energy storage system balances the national grid and generates income.

“We definitely want to continue being a forerunner in energy matters, and Cactos is a modular solution. There’s no reason not to add more storage capacity to our property. Even a small battery energy storage system like ours helps bring more renewable energy to Finland.”

Tomi Kuparinen, CEO, Waltikka