Along a small stretch of Norway’s coastline, salmon farms use electricity to run everyday operations. For years, that often meant relying on diesel generators to provide power at sites located far from the main electrical grid.
Something different happened, though.
A fish farm near Trondheim had a floating solar and battery system installed.
In a few weeks, the fish farm had seen such promising results that they ordered a second system.
What surprised them the most wasn’t the fact that the solar panels produced some electricity. It was how little the diesel generator was needed after the solar installation was completed.
A fish farm was testing a new power source
Norwegian salmon producer Emilsen Fisk tested a floating solar plant at its Båfjordstranda fish farm in Trøndelag.
This project was developed with Alotta, a Norwegian company that specializes in designing floating solar systems for marine environments.
Their floating solar plant is called Alotta Circle Mc120 and includes both solar panels and battery storage to provide electricity for all of the company’s fish farming operations. This provides a consistent amount of power to the fish farm even during times of low sunlight (such as winter) without having to rely on a constant supply of diesel fuel.
Emilsen Fisk installed the floating solar plant as a practical test.
They wanted to see how the system performed in real operating conditions.
The location also experiences extreme variations in daylight throughout the year. In many areas of Norway, it gets dark early in the winter and then remains light late into the summer.
Results arrived faster than expected
Managing Director Roy Emilsen told us that within a few weeks he realized that his diesel generator had barely been running since the floating solar plant went online. The floating solar plant produces over 90% of the facility’s power using solar energy and battery storage.
That immediate reduction in diesel usage greatly changed the economics of the project. Less diesel usage means lower fuel consumption, fewer fuel deliveries, and less maintenance required.
Reduced diesel use also creates a quieter working environment.
According to Ocean Sun, the project at Båfjordstranda is described as the world’s northernmost floating solar power plant.
Alotta has reported that this scenario is common among installations where they size their solar panels and battery systems according to the customer’s energy demands.
Instead of waiting months to decide what to do next, the company ordered a second Alotta floating solar system.
One installation quickly became two
The Båfjordstranda floating-solar system was commissioned before July 2025, and by July 1, Alotta was already reporting several weeks of operation.
Within four weeks of seeing those results, Emilsen Fisk placed an order for a second Alotta Circle Mc120 floating solar system.
According to plans, the new floating solar system was scheduled for delivery in autumn 2025.
Initially, the new system will be used at another Emilsen Fisk facility; eventually, it will contribute to increased renewable energy production at Båfjordstranda.
The project was already proving itself
Both installations received partial funding through Enova, a Norwegian organization that supports renewable energy projects.
Notably, for Alotta, the follow-up order is indicative of more than just delivering additional equipment successfully.
The company sees it as proof that salmon producers are getting more confident about replacing diesel fuel with renewable energy systems in situations where it makes sense economically.
To Emilsen Fisk, however, it simply made sense to try out a different way to produce power for their operations.
They wanted to find out whether they could use floating solar energy as a viable alternative to meet a portion of their power needs at an operational fish farm.
And with the diesel generator spending most of its time idling after just a few weeks, they found that they could.
Read the whole thing?
Get the week's signal, not the noise
Our sharpest reporting on energy, climate and nature — free, once a week.
