Cluster catch-up: HELINOR Energy

Nov 16

“If you look at the entire ocean space there will be numerous of different requirements and needs, but the future fuel alternatives has one thing in common, hydrogen.”

— Stian Antonsen

In the last Cluster Catch-up, Hydrogenious LOHC Maritime shared how they see hydrogen as a part of the future. This time it’s HELINOR Energy’s turn!

HELINOR Energy provides ground-breaking Net Zero Hydrogen solutions for maritime applications such as auxiliary power and main propulsion power. From their headquarters in Norway, they will produce a variety of hydrogen fuel cell solutions, wind- and solar products as well as stacking of tailored batteries. Stian Antonsen, CEO of HELINOR Energy, sat down with us for a chat about their daily life.

What is HELINOR Energy’s primary focus right now?

Stick to the plan – our ambition scares many but we are holding on to our process plan. Wherever we turn there is interest in our Fuel Cell Power Boxes but in order to scale up we need to secure the funding. We already have two very interesting projects that needs full attention, so we are utilizing our capacity with a fine balance between maintaining our commitment to these projects and making progress in the ongoing capitalization.

What are the biggest challenges and opportunities for HELINOR Energy in the future?

Hiring people in the speed we expect will be challenging but also a great opportunity for our new colleagues by being able to shape the company together with us. We do have serial entrepreneurial experience, in growing organically, but none of us can foresee how the days will be like during this venture. The opportunity is huge, we are aiming to be a significant player, target market for Marine Fuel Cells in Europe alone is worth 32 billion EUR in 2030, our goal is to secure at least 5% of this. By eliminating traditional engineering steered thinking our concept is all about industrial scaling and mass production from day one, the goal is to duplicate our setup in Florø around the world at a high speed.
We do not know when the big shift will happen, but one thing is for sure, the green shift is moving too slow and everything needs to accelerate.

How can hydrogen be a part of the solution for the future?

We believe Hydrogen is the fuel of the future, it is just a matter of what state, material or combination we are able to store it in. There is a huge number of applications with load profiles that has a perfect match for hydrogen as main source of power. Hydrogen production facilities are being built rapidly around the world enabling green hydrogen. It is more a matter of when, rather than how it can be a part of the future.
Wherever there is a demand for energy storage, there will be different need. There will always be some segments and applications that requires an alternative to pure hydrogen, in the immediate future we have alternative fuels to use such as Ammonia and Methanol. They are used primarily as they appear to be a promising hydrogen carrier. If you look at the entire ocean space there will be numerous of different requirements and needs, but the future fuel alternatives has one thing in common, Hydrogen.

10ft Power House with 1,9 MW output. Illustration: HELINOR Energy.

What is your primary focus when it comes to sustainability?

Our focus is to think sustainability in the whole value chain - in the entire pipeline from a procured component, selected partners and operators. By rethinking the way of designing a system optimized for mass production will enable affordable solutions in the long run, and eventually reach a crossing point where both lifetime cost and benefits goes beyond fossil alternatives.

Why did you decide on becoming a member of Ocean Hyway Cluster?

We cannot do this alone, we are in this together, the cluster represents great networking, momentum – a great tool for speed and execution. There are room for everybody, we have to help each other.