TAFJORD
TAFJORD is the largest energy group in the northwestern region of Norway. The forerunner of today’s group was established already in 1895. Around 1920, we started work to establish power plants and building power lines to provide power to both businesses and residents in Ålesund, and to facilitate future growth in the region.
The region is constantly evolving, and we are always looking for new and better solutions that can provide energy for the future. Today, Tafjord has nine wholly-owned power plants – most of them situated in Tafjord and the surrounding mountains.There, electricity is produced by hydropower. We are also engaged in wind power, and see the benefits of wind, both onshore and offshore. At the same time, we recover energy from waste in the region. In our combustion plant we produce enough light and heat to cover much of the energy needs of the citizens in Ålesund.
Hydropower
Hydropower is, without a doubt, the backbone of TAFJORD, where the natural water reservoirs in the Tafjord mountains are the reason for why it all started. Over a century later, the natural resources remain just as important to the operation of the energy group.
The power source is completely emission-free and renewable. When the water has been used to produce power, it flows out to sea. TAFJORD, the largest energy group on the North western coast of Norway, has an annual production of pure, renewable hydroelectric power equivalent to approx. 1.3 billion kilowatt hours – enough to cover the energy needs of about 65.000 dwellings.
Windpower
Windpower is a known natural resource, but it is only in recent years that technology has allowed for building of large wind-based power plants. Windpower is now an energy source that one focuses on in the future.
As for wind power, hydroelectric power is also an emission-free and renewable energy source. At a time when demand for energy is growing, wind power becomes more actual, but as opposed to water the wind cannot be stored in magazines. For us, therefore, the combination of windpower/hydropower is particularly interesting. During periods with stronger winds, we can use windpower and conserve water in the reservoirs for calmer times. Our commitment to windpower, both onshore and offshore, is taken care of by the companies Vestavind Kraft and and Vestavind Offshore.
Recycling
Few people think about it, but garbage is in fact an invaluable resource for the community. At TAFJORD’s incineration plant the recycling of waste is turned into environmentally-friendly energy. 85 per cent of the energy from the waste is utilised and delivered to consumers in the form of heating and electricity. One could almost say that we make gold out of garbage. The energy that is recovered from the waste in our region constitutes today 25 percent of the energy used for lighting and heating in Ålesund city and Spjelkavik. This effort has contributed to the replacement of nearly all oil-fired heating stoves with new and environmentally-friendly heating systems. Not only does this method eliminate the waste in an sound manner, the recycling of electrical energy is highly welcomed. High combustion temperatures and modern filtering ensure that emissions are actually cleaner than the air they are released to.
Energy for the future
Since its modest beginning in 1895, TAFJORD has pursued newer and better solutions – that can provide energy for the future. Just like a sailboat is dependent upon teaming with nature to make progress, we rely on the same interaction to get speed in the water and wind turbines. Whether it is future-oriented solutions – such as environmental-friendly energy recovery of waste – or harvesting renewable resources around us – it’s these solutions that have shaped the energy group TAFJORD to what we are today. This is what we have always sought. This is what we mean by energy for the future!
Windpower is a known natural resource, but it is only in recent years that technology has allowed for building of large wind-based power plants. Windpower is now an energy source that one focuses on in the future.
As for wind power, hydroelectric power is also an emission-free and renewable energy source. At a time when demand for energy is growing, wind power becomes more actual, but as opposed to water the wind cannot be stored in magazines. For us, therefore, the combination of windpower/hydropower is particularly interesting. During periods with stronger winds, we can use windpower and conserve water in the reservoirs for calmer times. Our commitment to windpower, both onshore and offshore, is taken care of by the companies Vestavind Kraft and and Vestavind Offshore.
Recycling
Few people think about it, but garbage is in fact an invaluable resource for the community. At TAFJORD’s incineration plant the recycling of waste is turned into environmentally-friendly energy. 85 per cent of the energy from the waste is utilised and delivered to consumers in the form of heating and electricity. One could almost say that we make gold out of garbage. The energy that is recovered from the waste in our region constitutes today 25 percent of the energy used for lighting and heating in Ålesund city and Spjelkavik. This effort has contributed to the replacement of nearly all oil-fired heating stoves with new and environmentally-friendly heating systems. Not only does this method eliminate the waste in an sound manner, the recycling of electrical energy is highly welcomed. High combustion temperatures and modern filtering ensure that emissions are actually cleaner than the air they are released to.
Energy for the future
Since its modest beginning in 1895, TAFJORD has pursued newer and better solutions – that can provide energy for the future. Just like a sailboat is dependent upon teaming with nature to make progress, we rely on the same interaction to get speed in the water and wind turbines. Whether it is future-oriented solutions – such as environmental-friendly energy recovery of waste – or harvesting renewable resources around us – it’s these solutions that have shaped the energy group TAFJORD to what we are today. This is what we have always sought. This is what we mean by energy for the future!
