SIA “BT Power” secured €340,000 in financing from Citadele Leasing to build a mobile electrical testing laboratory housed in a Volkswagen Crafter van, as reported by iauto.lv on Sunday.
- Vehicle Base: A 2026 Volkswagen Crafter van acquired for approximately €58,000.
- Guarantee Structure: Backed by a guarantee from the European Investment Fund (EIF) for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The funding enables SIA “BT Power” to construct a specialized technical unit designed to diagnose faults and conduct technical checks across solar and wind farms. The vehicle purchase cost approximately €58,000, while the remaining capital went toward equipping the van with seven specialized electrical diagnostic and measuring systems.
“Pieaugošajam saules un vēja enerģijas parku skaitam ir nepieciešama droša un nepārtraukta infrastruktūras darbība,” noted Toms Bergs, owner of SIA “BT Power,” to iauto.lv. Previously, the company relied on external service providers for specific electrical tests, which sometimes created waiting periods of up to a month.
“Tagad, pateicoties savai mobilajai laboratorijai, uz tehniskām problēmām varam reaģēt uzreiz vai dažu dienu laikā,” Bergs told iauto.lv. The new asset allows the company to accelerate fault diagnosis, plan work with greater flexibility, and lower the risk of power generation interruptions.
Core tasks include cable testing and fault location. The integrated equipment tests cable insulation quality using test voltages of up to 60 kilovolts and pinpoints fault locations in buried cables, which reduces necessary excavation work.
Pēteris Plaudis, head of Citadele Leasing in Latvia, emphasized the strategic rationale for the transaction in comments provided to iauto.lv. “Investīcijas atjaunīgās enerģijas infrastruktūrā neaprobežojas tikai ar jaunu saules un vēja parku būvniecību,” Plaudis stated to iauto.lv, pointing to the importance of efficient management and prompt technical maintenance.
| Investment Component | Allocation | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Total Financing | €340,000 | Provided by Citadele Leasing with EIF backing |
| Vehicle Acquisition | ~€58,000 | 2026 Volkswagen Crafter microbus |
| Diagnostic Equipment | remainder | Seven specialized electrical and measurement systems |
In solar parks, the laboratory checks panel operating efficiency against expected output to spot technical issues that suppress electricity generation. Transformer diagnostics assess the technical condition of windings and electrical insulation to identify wear before failures occur. The equipment also verifies electrical system protection devices and their settings to ensure they respond correctly to overloads.
While designed for renewable energy sites, SIA “BT Power” intends to offer the diagnostic services to industrial objects, power plants, substations, and manufacturing clients as a long-term business line. The financing transaction incorporates a guarantee from the European Investment Fund geared toward small and medium-sized enterprises.
