Now the towboats get shore power from solar cells

Text and photo: Sveinung W. Jensen, Tellus Kommunikasjon

- We are keen to further develop our green profile. Besides, there is economy in this. The solar cell system will in the long run be cost-saving, says general manager John W. Nilsen.

FFS aims to reduce CO₂emissions by 10 percent by 2030. In addition to producing its own electricity, construction equipment will be replaced with more sustainable variants.

- DIESEL TRUCKER will be replaced with electric trucks, and all new vans will run on electricity, Nilsen says.

This summer, around 350 square meters of solar panels have been installed on the roof of the workshop in Lundevågen. From a mobile app, John-Tore Stava can follow power production from hour to hour.

- FOR NOW TODAY we have produced 212 kilowatts. That's not so bad. But then it's good with sun today, he says as the clock strikes 13.

- What we do not use ourselves, we sell, says Stava.

The plant, which has cost around NOK 15 million, will provide over 100 megawatts a year. In comparison, a detached house uses an average of 20 megawatts per year.

FFS manager Nilsen is so pleased that he has already ordered solar cells for the roof of the warehouse.

Sustainability is also thought of at sea. FFS already has Norway's greenest tugboat in the fleet.

FFS Athos runs with electric motor power on towing assignments. That saves the environment from polution and customers from costs.

THE GOAL IS TO rebuild FFS Athos further so that it does not need fossil fuels at all.

- We are considering different solutions. Whether it will be hydrogen or all-electric where the battery is charged to the quay, we have to look at. But we have ambitions to be the best in the industry in terms of sustainability, says FFS CEO John W. Nilsen.