Senja’s smart power leads the way

In Norway, there is a strong focus on the green transformation of the power-intensive industries. Senja is no exception and is at the forefront of economic development in Arctic Norway. Even though the power grid to Senja has been modernized in recent years, the establishment of new businesses—the electrification of aquaculture and the fishing fleet, as well as the electrification of transportation in general—are pushing the electrical infrastructure to its limits. The Smart Senja project aims to relieve pressure on the current power network at Husøy and Senjahopen, in Northern Senja, by distributing consumption more evenly over the day, thereby securing enough power to sustain the development of the communities. 

Concretely, the project has installed two large battery energy storage systems, established a local energy market to trade flexibility and developed models for local renewable power production. The involvement of the community—especially related to how and why different technologies are implemented—is important. The project, therefore, organizes teaching about energy at the local schools, co-organizes energy cafes with the locals and takes part in various local events that are relevant for the project.

The energy storage solutions are the largest investment in the project. The battery facility at Husøy, with a capacity of approximately 2 MW, will be the largest ever connected to the Norwegian grid to date. These facilities will stabilize the power grid, be used for reducing the peaks, and be able to operate in island-mode in case of a power outage.

The combination of these technological and community-based solutions from the fishing communities is set to have transfer value to other power network companies and international research communities to ensurerobust energy transformation for other Arctic communities.

As such, Smart Senja is about developing energy systems for the future – not just for Senja – but also to support the global transition towards renewable energy and an electrical future.

The Smart Senja project is owned by Arva AS and financially supported by ENOVA. The partners in the Smart Senja project are Br. Karlsen, Nergård AS, Arva AS, Tromskraft Produksjon AS, Ishavskraft, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Enfo, Nodes AS, Powel AS, Rolls Royce Solutions Berlin GmbH and Solbes AS. The project was initiated in 2019 and is set to run until 2025.

Julien Moisan, Section Leader of Innovation and Sustainability at Arva AS, in front of the 2MW battery facility at Husøy on Senja.

The Arctic Economic Council has made a video about sustainable investment opportunities in the Arctic, featuring Smart Senja.