Høglund launches dedicated power solutions business with Acel and EF Invest

Høglund, a marine solutions and systems integration company, has announced plans to expand its range of solutions for the battery and hybrid sectors. As part of the expansion, electrical contractor Acel and EF Invest will become co-owners of Høglund Power Solutions, giving owners, operators and crew access to automation, gas and hybrid power services. “Following the IMO’s mandate last year for shipping to reduce its carbon footprint by 50% by 2050, we need to develop hybrid and battery solutions for all sectors, and quickly,” said Bengt-Olav Berntsen, who will head the new company as CEO, having led research and development at Høglund. “Whether it’s new-build or retrofit, we need to look carefully at how we can integrate battery and hybrid systems. “Generic solutions will not give owners the reliability, flexibility and confidence they need if battery and hybrid power is to become mainstream,” continued Berntsen. “It’s vital that systems integration partners are engaged from the first stage of any project to make sure that all elements in a hybrid vessel can work together, talk to each other, and that data from these systems can be easily accessed and transformed into value.” Director of the board, Kjell-Christian Krohn Dale, added, “As shipping approaches a period of unprecedented change, customers are now seeking to reduce the risk of projects that include a range of new, high-tech systems. The combined expertise of Acel and Høglund will do exactly that, while also reducing the time of execution of such projects. At the same time, we are aware of the challenges for the crew when new systems are introduced; for this reason, we will put safe and user-friendly functionalities at the heart of everything we do. “One way of improving crew ability will be through new simulators, which provide a safe testing ground for new systems and technologies. Together with NTNU Ålesund, we have developed the Hybrid Power Lab as a full-scale battery solution. Our mission is now to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and also reduce operational costs for the shipowners and operators.”