The plant will be 105 kWp and will be established in a regulated area at Skiftestjørna in Haugaland Næringspark. Testing will take place in collaboration with partners Sunlit Sea, Supercharge, Endra, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and Haugaland Kraft Energi.
Sunlit Sea will analyze the effect on nature, maintenance costs, production, degradation and other conditions. A successful project could lead to the deployment of floating solar power at, for example, Norwegian hydropower plants, where hybridization with hydropower can spare the electricity grid from strain. Endra again wants to learn about the installation, operation and maintenance requirements for this type of system in order to assess whether floating solar is something the company wants to focus on in addition to large ground-mounted systems. Haugaland Kraft Energi will look at possible designs of PPA agreements related to this type of plant and how they may be able to offer this as a future service. In addition, they will be able to sell/purchase electricity to/from Ev Powercharge through their Solkraft electricity agreement.
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences has provided input on which instrument installations are important for collecting relevant data for commercial benchmarking and possible research. The Haugesund department will arrange field visits for mechanical engineering students through the renewable energy subject, promote summer jobs for students who can help with follow-up and maintenance of the solar cell plant, and develop some ideas for relevant bachelor theses. In addition, the university's marine microbiology lab is interested in following up fouling and microorganisms around the plant.
- "This is a very exciting project, and we're pleased that the players want to test it at Haugaland Næringspark, which is already a central hub for the new energy mix. The project is an important competence development project and will fit into our profile where we want to facilitate both fossil-free construction sites and emission-free transit transport," says General Manager of Haugaland Næringspark, Tiril Fjeld.
Haugaland Business Park is Norway's largest fully regulated business park, strategically located by the E39 in a strong energy hub and a strong industrial region. The park is the result of inter-municipal cooperation over many years, and is owned by the five surrounding municipalities. With ample access to power in the years to come, its own deep-water quay and all infrastructure in place, Haugaland Business Park is one of Northern Europe's most attractive locations for the establishment of new industry. Among the relevant establishments in the business park are battery cell production, including battery recycling, low-carbon process industry, biocarbon and hydrogen production.