Alotta delivers Chile’s first floating solar at Mowi site

Alotta Energy Chile has delivered the country’s first floating solar installation at Mowi’s Isla Huar salmon farm in the Los Lagos region, aiming to cut CO2 emissions and reduce diesel reliance in offshore aquaculture.

The system, developed, financed, and installed by Alotta Energy Chile, a subsidiary of Norway-based Alotta AS, forms part of the company’s proprietary Solar Hybrid platform. The structure incorporates a membrane-based design licensed from Ocean Sun.

According to Alotta, the installation is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 350 tons annually, equivalent to planting 14,000 trees or conserving over 12 hectares of native forest. The solar power generated is either used directly on-site or stored in batteries, covering up to 50% of the site’s energy needs and cutting diesel consumption.

“For the industry to move toward more sustainable standards, working with suppliers and other partners to promote the incorporation of new technologies to minimize impacts is key. In this sense, this initiative marks an important step in the innovation of solutions to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency in our daily operations,” said Ricardo Gantenbein, Seawater Production Manager at Mowi Chile.

The project was delivered in partnership with AKVA group, which provided infrastructure integration and will oversee maintenance, and Fjord Maritime, which supplied the energy storage system. Alotta will continue supplying power under an energy-as-a-service model.

Alotta Energy Chile’s General Manager, Kari-Elin Hildre, emphasized that “the solar hybrid technology, tested off the Norwegian coast, demonstrates that renewable energy is now ready to replace diesel in global aquaculture. Seeing it in operation in Chile is an achievement we are very proud of.”

The hybrid system builds on Alotta’s previous deployment at a salmon farm in Northern Norway and is now being scaled internationally. The company says it is targeting off-grid and aquaculture markets where fuel dependence remains high, offering a quieter, lower-emission alternative to traditional barge operations.

Back in February, Alotta, in collaboration with compatriot fish farming company Emilsen Fisk, was installing a floating solar power plant at the latter’s facility in Båfjordstranda, making it the “world’s northernmost floating solar power plant.”

Just recently, Singapore-based Canopy Power and Norway’s Ocean Sun have formed a strategic partnership to deploy floating solar technology in Australia, aiming to accelerate renewable energy solutions while addressing land and water scarcity challenges.