TINE is Norway’s largest producer, distributor, and exporter of dairy products with 11,400 members (owners) and 9,000 cooperative farms. Their goal is to be a leading and sustainable supplier of brands in food and beverage, with the main focus on dairy products.

Due to TINE’s expansion, they outgrew their previous Bergen processing plant and required a new processing plant and distribution center. In line with their comprehensive sustainability strategy, TINE wanted to produce as much of their own renewable energy as possible.

Detailed design

• We worked alongside our Norwegian colleagues on the mechanical and DC electrical design
• A PV system was designed to make efficient use of the roof space available (taking up 6,200m2) to generate as much electricity as possible 
• Careful planning was required to maximise the efficiency of the solar panels, reduce the effect of any shading, and to lay 30,000m of DC cable.
  

Installation 

We installed 3,584 solar panels (72 Tons!) to schedule in Bergen, the rainiest city in Europe, in the rainiest Autumn since the 1860s. We built a temporary shelter on the roof to install DC connectors in the dry, along with using protective caps to stop any water ingress.  We carried out detailed testing of the solar panels and DC cable using our industry-leading testing equipment.  

This project involved installing  47.27 tons of ballast, and 30,000m DC cable.

Technologies

Inverters: SMA 50kW

Panels: RECOM Solar