Through its Baltic Sea Project, the Bank of Åland has granted funding for RAScue (Recirculating Aquaculture Systems cutting eutrophication), a Flexens project focusing on nutrient recovery and energy efficiency in land-based fish farms. For Flexens, making a positive impact on the Baltic Sea is both important and natural.
As a company, we have a unique connection to the Baltic Sea, being founded on Åland and having multiple ongoing projects in the area. We recognize that, in many cases, the local energy system and the wellbeing of the Baltic Sea go hand in hand.
ABOUT RAScue
The Baltic Sea, connecting multiple Northern European countries, is afflicted by eutrophication. With the end goal of reducing the nutrient load in the Baltic Sea, RAScue aims to pioneer fish farming’s new best practice for nutrient recovery and improve energy efficiency.
RAScue includes two studies. First, a study on making the leading nutrient recovery system, Recirculating Aquaculture System or RAS, more cost-effective and energy-efficient. Second, a feasibility study on producing fertiliser from fish sludge. Flexens wants to demonstrate that it is feasible for offshore fish farmers to transition their business inland, thereby decreasing nutrient emissions to the sea.
According to RAScue’s coordinator, Szilvia Haide, current RAS can capture nutrients and reduce the water usage of inland fish farms, but they are energy-intensive processes with high maintenance costs.
Land-based fish farms offer a new and challenging environment for us to utilise our engineering expertise. We are very excited to explore the integration of RAS with energy technologies and circular economy concepts, meanwhile rescuing the Baltic Sea.
RAScue’s official webpage can be found here: https://www.rascue.info/
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT RAScue?
Szilvia Haide
Collaborators
The mission of the Baltic Sea Project is to help the Baltic Sea by funding good ideas and inspiring people into action. The Bank of Åland has supported environmental projects since 1997 and has given out over €3,300,000 in support of environmental work. Every year, the bank has donated a portion of its own funds to environmental protection, matching up to 0.2% of all the savings on Baltic Sea Accounts.
Flexens Oy Ab is a project developer and investor implementing critical technologies needed to enable societies to run 100 % renewable energy sources. Flexens was founded in 2018 to capitalize on the skills and capabilities created in building the world-leading RES testbed and demo platform, Smart Energy Åland, capturing the rapidly growing demand for renewable energy systems. Through a public-private-partnership with multi-level actors on Åland, Flexens has founded a clear pathway and developed the essential framework needed to ensure rapid novel RES technology diffusion and implementation.
