This is how farmer Lars has disconnected from the mains:
Out on Byneset outside Trondheim is Lars Hoem’s own wind turbine, which he bought himself for three million kroner. Next to a photovoltaic system and a hydrogen tank, which acts as a battery when there is a sun or wind.
– I think it’s exciting with such technical things, and then it’s green energy.
Lars (58) admits that he is a proper handyman, who likes to tinker with a bit of everything on the two farms he and his wife Jorun own.
Zero in electricity bill
He procured the wind turbine himself, but both the solar cell system and the hydrogen tank are part of an ongoing research project that the EU initiated, and in which TrønderEnergi and SINTEF participate. Together with the enthusiast Lars Hoem, that is.
– What is so nice about Lars is that he wants to try new things, says Bernhard Kvaal, senior project manager at TrønderEnergi.
– There will be no electricity bills anymore, says Lars.
This has, as is well known, been the year with sky-high electricity bills. The farmer couple on Byneset use 150,000 kilowatt-hours annually. Now the sun, wind and hydrogen provide everything they need to flow to the farms where they have cows and pigs, respectively.
In early January this year, the Hoem couple was able to disconnect from the mains.
– It has worked fine, we can feel small “winks” sometimes, but the delivery is stable, says Lars.
– Through this project we have proven that the interaction between wind, sun and hydrogen production works excellently, forklift Kvaal, when it is windy and the sun is shining, the surplus energy is converted into hydrogen. And when it comes to days without solar radiation and wind, the power is produced through the hydrogen tank.
The system thus acts as a battery.
Became windmill-inspired in Denmark
It has been a few years since Hoem drove around Denmark as a long-distance transport driver.
-I drove about 40-50 trips a year for six years, and thought it was so nice with all the wind turbines.
It inspired the farmer, who eventually took over to farms. He would think both saving and green shifting at the same time. As the EU and TrønderEnergi are a local partner, Lars was not hurt to be.
– A lot of this is now over my head, then, he laughs, as he shows around the hydrogen tank lying, side by side with the battery container.
While we were standing there, white steam began to escape from the plant. This indicates that neither the sun nor the finder provide electricity right now, so the hydrogen is working to supply the electricity the farmer needs.
– There are only four places where this experiment is taking place, the other three experiments are taking place in southern Europe, says Kvaal.
He believes that the many islands in Norway can benefit from this. Expensive submarine cables must be replaced as they age – then this concept may well be the alternative. In addition, Europe is full of diesel generators that pump out pollution. The concept of wind-solar-hydrogen can then replace these pollutants.
Have faith in the sun
Lars and his wife Jorun can for the time being enjoy the absence of the electricity bill. But one day, when the project is over, they have to reconnect online. They will probably keep the photovoltaic system. Because they want to be as self-sufficient as possible.
– I believe in the sun, that it will become, more and more, an energy source for us Norwegians.