GETEK ENERGY: Reliability & Quality for Toughest Environments

In the coldest, bleakest, harshest environments on earth, traditional power grids are not an option – not needed, not wanted, often not physically possible. In areas like Bouvet Island, Antarctica, Svalbard, and several regions across the Artic Circle, where snow and ice cover the desolate land, and human settlements are few and far between, alternative solutions to power generation are required.

In these places, research stations, scientific and military installations, refuelling sites, and adventure tourism are the only draw for people. But the need for electricity remains.

Thankfully, Norway’s GETEK Energy – a leading provider of intelligent, robust off grid solutions – has decades of experience in the roll out of efficient solar projects that solve problems for clients.

Established in 2013 after a rebrand, the company is headed by CEO Morten Gaustad, an engineer with an entire career history working with solar installations.

The company provides high-quality off grid units that run entirely on renewable sources. They are highly mobile and easy to deploy, and are assembled in Norway to the highest certification and standards.

Owners of office and commercial buildings are now approaching GETEK to install systems on rooftops and in open spaces, following from demands of tenants and clients. Many companies are commercial electricians and have the ability to connect systems together but lack PV knowledge. GETEK Energy has the expertise to provide a turnkey solution.

“We use many different components and it is always an issue to get things to talk to each other correctly,” smiles Gaustad.

“We are a certified electrical company,” he adds. “Often companies are keen on renewable energy, and they start up by connecting systems, but in the end they are not aware of the regulations and codes that must be followed. To be certified you have to go through the Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) which is concerned with fire and security in Norway. Most companies that are approved are regular electricians and they do not have experience and knowledge about how PV systems and battery systems work. We habitually use local electricians for our installations, but we do have to train them to understand our systems.”

ENERGETIC HISTORY

GETEK Energy began life installing solar panels and cells on remote cabins and lodges in the Norwegian countryside. Gaustad had been involved in the installation of PV connections before realising the challenges faced by these rural communities around energy. By 1993, the company was ready to install the first grid-connected photovoltaic system in Norway at the Olympic Village, Hamar. From there, business blossomed with projects flowing for a range of public and private customers. The police, armed forces, government, and research organisations trust the company’s systems to keep the lights on in even the most challenging conditions.

“We are a small company and 99.5% of what we do is in Norway,” says Gaustad.

“We are specialists in making very reliable power systems – everyone says that, but we can prove it. These are specialist off grid solutions,” he states. “We have research stations in places such as Bouvet Island – one of the most remote places on earth, and we work with the Norwegian Polar Institute. In Antarctica, there is a Norwegian research station, and we work there. We also work at Spitsbergen in the Arctic, and we provide polar bear proof power-solutions proof to secure navigation systems for the airport. We have two installations there that provide electricity that assists airplanes in locating the airport in the fog.”

He recalls the Vnukovo Airlines disaster of 1996 – the Operafjell accident – where a Russian plane lost situational awareness in poor weather conditions including thick fog, crashing into the ground on approach to Svalbard Airport killing all on board.

“That would have been avoided with this new system.”

Solar energy has clear advantages in remote locations including reduced air pollution compared with diesel generators, reduced water usage, often cheaper lifetime cost, and environmental impact credentials. Even in more populated areas, with rooftop installations or commercial sites, solar powers finances stack up favourably against fossil fuel derived energy. For many GETEK clients, the most important thing is uninterrupted, reliable supply.

“We have installations for the Norwegian army, we power the surveillance of the border towards Russia. Our units support avalanche systems and rockslide systems, as well as lighthouses – we don’t provide the monitoring, but we provide the power. Many hiking lodges are off grid and many of them in Norway are powered by our systems.”

Each system is designed specifically around customer requirements and is carefully crafted for maximum impact.

“We assemble and test systems here at our workshop, but we don’t make batteries and PV modules,” furthers Gaustad. “We find the right components to fit a need for the customer and the climate. There is a lot of wind and snow in the mountains, therefore, the cheapest components will not do – we have to deliver high-quality. Our systems are made up of a lot of components which are tied together, and we do the programming and testing at our workshop. When we perform installations on mountains, we often have to use a helicopter to get to site, and it is then important that the system is complete and working as we cannot move the production to the top of a mountain. Have unfinished or incomplete parts would be unacceptable for our clients,” he says, adding that the weather often stops easy site access. “We have to have a complete unit, install it and then getaway before the weather changes. We also monitor the systems remotely from the workshop, depending on the customer.”

BRIGHT FUTURE

With a strong project portfolio to call on, including a brilliant 1.6 MWp hybrid solar diesel installation in Uganda on Bugala Island in the middle of Lake Victoria, GETEK is positioned strongly for future growth with clients from different industry sectors.

“We provide high quality, off grid installations that are reliable. We have many years’ experience, and optimise systems made for harsh climates,” reiterates Gaustad.

He cites the company’s supply chain as a key ingredient in successes past, present and future. “We have a long list of suppliers and we import the key components ourselves. We work closely with the Austrian company Fronius and we have been their Norwegian partner for almost 20 years. Although we are a Norwegian company, we have a global supply chain, and our products could be set up to work anywhere.”

Currently, the company is home to eight knowledgeable and highly skilled employees but will grow its numbers in the peak summer months. While there are no plans to be the biggest in Europe, GETEK certainly aims to be the best in its chosen markets and with its clients.     

“GETEK provides complete system solutions to cover needs of customers, both off grid and connected to the grid. Our main market is off grid installations. We have worked on some international projects for the UN, but Norway is our home market, and we see ourselves as leaders when it comes to offering off grid solutions in Norway,” confirms Gaustad.

Alongside its core solar offering, the company can assist with wind generation, fuel cells, traditional fossil fuel driven generators, inverters, battery packs, and the provision of R&D.  

Right now, for those seeking alternative power solutions for their company – whether in an urban centre or on a snow covered, wind blasted peak – GETEK has a solution and can make the future cleaner and brighter.