Enfy + Vikersund Solar Plant: Partnering for smarter solar energy

Construction of the plant is now complete, and power production is in full swing. With a generation capacity of nearly 10 MWp of solar power and a 2 MWh battery store, the plant is not only a producer of green energy, but also an active participant in both the power market and the balancing market. Together with Hydropower AS, landowner Torvald Hovde Saastad and Hafslund Flex, Enfy delivers intelligent energy systems that optimise production, operations and future development.

Why Vikersund Solar Plant chose Enfy

Hydropower AS, led by Ove Helgesen, is the developer and operator of Vikersund Solar Plant. We contacted Ove Helgesen after taking part in a joint webinar with Statnett. The conversation developed quickly and Vikersund Solar Plant chose to invest in our technology. We see this as a partnership where we work closely together to learn, adjust and develop the solution — so that together we can create the most value from every ray of sunlight.

Ove Helgesen shares this mindset and emphasises that this is a collaboration where we will develop together:

«We would rather work with someone at the same level and in the same development phase as us, than become a needle in a haystack at a large company. At Enfy we feel we are prioritised, and that the interest in succeeding is as strong as our own,» says Helgesen.

Research and shared learning

The project in Vikersund is also an arena for research and learning. NIBIO studies how plants develop under and between the solar fields, recording pollination and grass growth among other things. Camera recordings also show rich bird life — a sign that the area works well as a habitat.

The learning here is invaluable. When we deliver intelligent energy systems to Vikersund Solar Plant, we are not only a supplier — we are a development partner. We learn from experience in the field, we share knowledge, and we build solutions that can be taken on to other projects.

Tomorrow’s energy solutions — today

Vikersund Solar Plant is a pioneer project that demonstrates how solar power, battery storage and smart control systems can work together seamlessly. Enfy is proud to be part of the journey by delivering the control system that makes this possible, and we look forward to using the experience here to strengthen new projects in Norway and internationally.

The partnership is about optimising production here and now, but also about creating systems and experience that can benefit more solar projects.

«We hope and believe that more people can benefit from this project,» says Ove Helgesen.

That is what we at Enfy hope and believe too. Together with Vikersund Solar Plant and Hafslund Flex we show how technology, research and sustainability can be united in practice — and how solar energy can become both profitable and flexible, to the benefit of the energy industry, agriculture and society.

When energy and nature work together

When most people hear about large solar plants, it is easy to think that the area is built over and destroyed. Vikersund Solar Plant is a good example that it can be done quite differently. Here, ground-mounted solar panels stand side by side with sheep grazing — clear proof that energy production and agriculture can be combined.

Today 48 sheep graze the area, and capacity can soon be expanded to around 150 sheep. Grazing brings several benefits: vegetation is kept down, the soil is nourished, and the area does not become overgrown.

Ove Helgesen says that the local community in Vikersund is also very positive about the project. Precisely because they see how the solar plant looks after the land and gives something back.

As Ove himself puts it: «We are borrowing the land. When the plant is one day taken down, everything is 100% reversible. The soil underneath is at least as good, if not better, because it is grazed and fertilised naturally — without pesticides or artificial fertiliser.»

This clearly shows that energy production and agriculture can be combined. The solar plant in Vikersund is proof that technology does not have to stand in opposition to nature and sustainability — but can actually work together with them.