Aquaculture · Energy
Feeding, pumping, compressed air and oxygen need energy around the clock. Here we have collected figures from public sources and nine measures that cut consumption. The figures are examples from the industry, not promises for your site.
Feeding is the most energy-intensive process at a site.
Source: DNV GL (2018)
More than half of the sites along the coast have shore power. On the feed barges, the diesel generators are being replaced by shore power and hybrid systems.
Source: iLaks
DNV GL assumes around 80 litres of diesel per harvested tonne on barges without shore power, in a range from 52 to 120.
Source: DNV GL (2018)
Most workboats burn most of their diesel while working at the pens.
Source: DNV GL (2018)
Land-based farming uses between 6 and 9 kWh of energy per kilo of salmon produced.
Energy is the second-largest cost in a RAS facility, after feed.
Source: iLaks
In a modelled RAS facility for post-smolt, the pumps accounted for around 45 % of the energy demand, and at least a third went to the thermal energy needs of the fresh water.
Source: Aquahoy, on a simulation study
Compressed air accounts for around a tenth of the electricity a company uses. In industry, 10 % of the energy goes to compressed air.
The figures come from public sources. In the test programmes you enter your own figures.
A generator running around the clock at low load burns a lot of diesel per kilowatt-hour. With a battery, the generator runs for only a few hours at a good load and charges the battery, and the battery covers the rest of the day. In an example from the industry, the running time went from the whole day to around three hours, according to iLaks.
Source: iLaks
An electric motor uses the energy better than a diesel generator. DNV GL assumes 67 % lower energy use when the barge has shore power, and estimated in 2018 that up to 80 % of production could be electrified profitably or at a relatively low cost. Where the grid is weak, a battery takes the peaks, so the site needs less power from shore.
Source: DNV GL (2018), iLaks
The equipment on the workboat can run on electricity from the barge while the boat lies at the pen. DNV GL estimates that this can cut up to 75 % of a workboat's diesel, without a battery in the boat. It requires the barge to have shore power. Boats with batteries can charge at the quay and at the barge.
Source: DNV GL (2018)
Every extra bar of pressure takes 7–8 % more electricity. Set the pressure as low as the equipment allows, and remove pressure drops in pipes and filters instead of turning the pressure up.
Fixing leaks is the single measure with the largest potential in an EU study. The study estimates 20 % lower energy use when the leaks are fixed, and that the measure is applicable and cost-effective in four out of five systems.
Source: EU study, as cited by ACEEE
A clogged filter causes a pressure drop, and the compressor has to work harder to hold the pressure. The EU study estimates 2 % lower energy use with more frequent filter replacement. We have filters for compressors of all makes.
A variable-speed compressor only makes the air that is needed. The EU study estimates 15 % lower energy use, and that the measure is applicable and cost-effective in one out of four systems. The gain depends on how much the demand fluctuates.
Source: EU study, as cited by ACEEE
Most of the electricity a compressor uses turns into heat. 80–90 % can be recovered and used to heat water or premises. It has value where the site can use the heat.
Source: Teknisk Ukeblad
A generator separates oxygen from ordinary compressed air, and the gas is made where it is used. Liquid oxygen can still be kept as a reserve when consumption peaks.
The sources were accessed in October 2026. We give the figures as the sources state them. Most of them are in Norwegian.
The test programmes answer immediately. Enter your own figures, and we will calculate precisely when you request a quote.
