Picture an energy company considering setting up an offshore wind farm. The positive reward of clean renewable energy is obvious. However, the economic investment is huge.

– Today, when projecting new offshore wind farms, the owner needs a guarantee of durability. For the project to be economically sustainable, they typically require maintenance intervals of up to 40 years on the windmills, says senior chemist Anders W. B. Skilbred in Jotun, touching in on the company’s main take on sustainability; protecting assets and enabling them to live longer.

– This gives us two vital tasks. First, we need high-quality coatings. Second, we need to prove our products can do the job, he adds.

This is why the key phrase nowadays for Skilbred and his project team is “proven performance”.

– It is not enough to test our products in a laboratory. We need to understand the specific environment where the coating will operate and how it performs under any climatic conditions, Skilbred says. 

– So, we must go out into the field, get our fingers dirty and come back with useful high-quality data, he adds.

For this reason, Jotun has established test stations throughout the world. And the most effective means of collecting the data is by using sensors and telecom infrastructure.

This is where Telenor, one of the big locomotives within telecommunication, comes in. The magic happens at Svalbard, where the Norwegian telecom company has its smallest business unit.

– Svalbard has been a test location for Telenor for a long time. We develop and test new products and solutions within secure communication of data, says CEO Christian Skottun in Telenor Svalbard.

For Jotun, Telenor Svalbard was an obvious partner.

– First of all, if something functions there, it functions everywhere. In addition, Jotun also has a test station at Svalbard, so it was natural to collaborate with Telenor, Skilbred says.

Telenor’s data communication devices transmit data from sensors monitoring corrosion levels and other variables 24/7 for Jotun at ten locations around the world. They provide valuable information for our scientists, enabling them to analyse product performance and predict maintenance intervals for assets such as ships, buildings and windmills.

More data means increased knowledge, paving the way for important projects.

– There are a lot of positive initiatives out there, both within renewable energy and in other areas. However, if there are too many uncertainties and the risk is too high, the project won’t be realized. This is where Jotun truly becomes an important part of the solution, Skilbred says.

– By developing what we may call high performance smart paint, we give our customers what they need to realise their projects and reach their sustainability goals, he concludes.