AKVA adds some solar flair

Inseanergy, a Norwegian company that uses redundant salmon pen collars to make floating solar and wind power plants for fish farms, has signed a letter of intent with international aquaculture supplier AKVA group for the supply and integration of green energy solutions to the aquaculture industry.

Of the approximately 1,000 operational aquaculture facilities along the coast of Norway, approximately 400 are without a shore power connection and rely on diesel generators.

“We work closely with our customers to better understand their challenges and opportunities. The goal is to achieve better, more cost-effective and sustainable operations and here we have a product that AKVA Group will integrate into its system deliveries,” said Tore Obrestad, global solutions manager in AKVA Group.

“This is a system for floating solar energy production that generates 100% emission-free green energy. In combination with a battery pack and water transport of the feed, you can reduce the running time of the diesel generator by up to 90% on a typical fish farm.

“By partnering with Inseanergy, we will be able to offer our customers total energy systems that include self-produced green energy that will collectively reduce diesel consumption, operating costs, and environmental footprint.”

Growth phase

Egil Hjelmeland, sales director at Inseanergy, said: “This letter of intent represents a collaboration with an established global player who sees great value in using sustainable technology. We have complementary products, and together we reduce the environmental footprint and operating costs of our customers.

“Our company is in a growth phase, and in this context it will be very interesting to work together with AKVA Group in a global market.”

Inseanergy, which has 10 employees, in initially focusing on Norway where it already has paying customers in sea-based cod and salmon farming, but has international ambitions.

Hydrogen fuel cell

“The market potential for aquaculture in Norway is around 400 facilities, but globally it is much larger,” founder Jan Erik Våge Klepp told Fish Farming Expert’s Norwegian sister site, Kyst.no.

He said using on-site solar and wind power would reduce diesel generator usage, and diesel could be eventually be eliminated completely by using a hydrogen fuel cell.

In this way, he said, an “off-grid” salmon farm can be operated on only renewable energy sources - throughout the year.