Today, most fish farms are powered by diesel generators. Generators have provided stable operation for several years and the technology is familiar to most of us. Why change a winning team?
The aquaculture industry enjoys talking about the blue revolution, but we also have to relate to the green shift. Most likely our industry, where diesel generators account for significant emissions, will also have to deal with stricter governmental regulations.
According to a study carried out by the Norwegian environmental foundation Bellona and the global technology company ABB, further electrification in the sea phase of salmon production in Norway may reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 300,000 tonnes annually.
By making a strategic choice to invest in greener operations today, you will be at the forefront and taking a clear environmental standpoint.
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Hybrid feed barge solutions
Even with new alternatives on the market, diesel generators will not die away in the near future. For facilities where onshore power is not an option, a hybrid solution will be a good alternative. By combining battery operation with generators on the feed barge, you will reduce the strain on the generators. This means reduced diesel consumption, extended generator lifetime, and reduced need for maintenance. Surplus energy from the generators will charge the batteries, and you’ll get a more sustainable solution with less emissions and noise.
AKVA group has experienced increased demands for this kind of hybrid solutions. Customers who made this investment learned that the reduced costs related to maintenance and fuel consumption made the investment pay for itself in just a few years.
The added benefit of the reduced noise levels when the batteries are running, is harder to estimate - particularly when taking the staff’s well-being, and the interests of the local community, into consideration.
Underwater lighting
Energy efficiency is becoming an increasingly important topic not only for the actual feed barge but also for adjacent technology. Take underwater lighting as an example: Here, UV lights have made its impact as a considerably better alternative to metal halogen lights. UV lights provide the same effect from far less energy and generate significantly less heat.
Save energy with waterborne feeding
Another novelty that will contribute to making facilities more energy efficient is waterborne feeding. AKVA group now works to re-introduce water as feed carrier. Waterborne feeding has the potential to more than halve the feed barge’s energy consumption, which in turn may enable full electric operation. We’ll cover this more in-depth in a later post.
AKVA group regards energy consumption as a topic that will have a considerable impact on the trends in our business. For that, we owe our customers a great deal of the credit. Each day, you challenge us to be innovative and find new and better solutions to your needs. We are still in the early stages of an exciting development.
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