– We intend to place a windmill on the lawn here, says Øyvind Svendsen. He is the general manager of the food manufacturer Gorines, which is now making plans for one windmill right outside the office building in Lillesand in Agder. – The aim is for us to become 100 per cent self-sufficient in energy in production, says Svendsen. He has nothing against the fact that the windmill will be clearly visible from the office. Nor is he worried about the sound it will make. – With the noise coming from the E18, you will hardly hear it. In that sense, it will not be a nuisance to anyone. The company sends out around NOK 130 million worth of food every year from its own factory. The need for energy is great, and now they want to invest in local wind in the established business area. On this lawn outside the office building of food producer Gorines, the company will set up a windmill. Photo: Espen Bierud / news Believes in many small and large local wind farms NVE, which issues wind concessions in Norway, believes that many small and medium-sized local wind farms will appear in the next few years. – We see that there is a lot going on in the districts around this. Many people want such projects, says adviser at NVE Erlend Bjerkestrand. He believes part of the reason is the criticism that has come against building wind power in untouched nature. – Many have pointed out that it is desirable to collect interventions and power production where there is already an industrial area. It has probably led to many looking for such areas, says Bjerkestrand. Plans are also being made for an energy plant with two medium-sized wind turbines in the business area at Kjærlingland in Lillesand. It is the property developer JBU and the energy company Greenstat Energy that are behind it. – We are planning an energy plant between the commercial activities. It will be wind, solar and production of hydrogen in a joint energy system, says CEO of Greenstat Energy Torstein Thorsen. If the municipality and NVE approve the plans, wind power and hydrogen can be produced in Kjærlingland in two to three years. Advisor at NVE Erlend Bjerkestrand, says many players in Norway are now showing interest in near-wind projects. Photo: Espen Bierud / news Glad they invested The company Gorines began to invest in renewable energy in 2016. The background was the idea that renewable energy was the future and a desire to be a future-oriented company. Now they have 6,000 square meters of solar cells on the roof. – It is adapted so that we get the most effect from it ourselves, says co-owner of Gorines Daniel Svendsen. In retrospect, they are glad they took the plunge. – The “timing” has been good, although we also feel the electricity crisis very well. Without the measures we have taken, it could have been so much worse, says Svendsen. The measures with several technologies combined in one solution have reduced their energy needs by over 50 per cent. The company Gorines in Lillesand now has 6,000 square meters of solar cells on the roof. Co-owner Daniel Svendsen (left) and general manager Øyvind Svendsen (right). Photo: Espen Bierud / news – Has a positive impact on the business economy Gorines has received NOK 10.5 million in support from Enova. They themselves have spent 26 million. – Even if there are some additional investments, it has a positive effect on the company’s finances, says Svendsen. Now the hope is that a windmill can contribute to predictability in terms of what the “kilowatt” may cost them in the future. – For most of the day, we will be self-sufficient and sometimes we will also be able to share electricity with others in the industrial area here. Senior adviser Roar Hugnes in Enova says Gorines has done a lot right when they first had to build a new factory. – They have adopted the most innovative solutions to reduce energy requirements. In addition, they think a little beyond their own company when it comes to being able to share energy with the neighboring company. I think we need more such solutions in Norway in the future, he says.
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The food producer Gorines bets on a windmill – becomes self-sufficient in electricity – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
