Solar energy for the Norwegian Petroleum Museum
The Norwegian Petroleum Museum in Stavanger, Norway is dedicated to the Norwegian oil history and is now partially powered by solar energy. A large solar power system covers around 20% of the energy consumption at the museum.
The museum is located in the downtown of Stavanger and it attracts 150,000 - 200,000 visitors every year. People go there to learn more about the Norwegian petroleum history, energy, the climate and the environment.
"The reason why we chose Caverion for this project is because we have very good experience with Caverion in the past. We are already using Caverion for a lot of services in our building, we have had a very good collaboration and we are very happy with the service and the work that has been done," says Petter Larikka, Operations Manager, Norwegian Petroleum Museum.
"Today's energy solution has, among other things, been based on heat exchangers that draw heating from the seawater outside. The museum uses sea water from right outside the museum to produce heat and energy for the building. To optimise our energy usage even more, we wanted to install solar panels on the roof. It seems a natural choice. We are in a protected building which sets limitation to what we are allowed to do with the building. The solar panels are now in place and we are hoping it will help us to save energy and to make this an even more sustainable museum," says Leif Harald Halvorsen, Exhibition Manager, Norwegian Petroleum Museum.
Read more about solar power panels
The solar panels are a great investment for us. After we have deducted the state granted subsidies, we are expecting this investment to break even after about two to two and a half years. We are also expecting to reduce our electricity use with about 20%.
Petter Larikka, Operations Manager, Norwegian Petroleum Museum
"At the Petroleum Museum, we have installed more 200 solar panels with a cumulative effect of 110 kW peak. That's enough to cover around 20% of the building's energy usage," says Thomas Wold, Project Manager, Caverion Norway.
About the Norwegian Petroleum Museum
The Norwegian Petroleum Museum was opened on 20 May 1999. The museum was established to disseminate knowledge about Norwegian petroleum activity. It focuses on the history, development and importance of the oil and gas industry in Norway. The museum building of 5,000 square meters is located in the center of Stavanger and contains exhibitions, cinema, restaurant, library, meeting rooms, workshop and offices. The building is a symbolic interpretation of the Norwegian bedrock, the open coastal landscape towards the sea - and offshore installations at sea.
