Solar cells are already starting to appear in Norway, after electricity prices skyrocketed. The number of new plants in operation is through the roof.
But this is not a smooth development.
Also read: Solar cells cut off electricity production when sun conditions are better
One of those who have experienced this is Rebecca Undeland. Last fall, it had 54 solar panels installed in its barn on a small farm in Flatebygd in southern Norway, which should be capable of producing 19.9 kilowatts.
The price for everything was around NOK 400,000, however
Surprise after surprise
After the somewhat messy process of registering as
Gradually, we record that none of the electricity we send to the grid appears on our electricity bill as sold electricity. We are also not registered as plus customers, and the electrician has not sent a completion notice, Rebekka tells Nettavisen.
After being sent back and forth between The Electrician and Glitter Nett, the shock message arrives:
– I complain to the electrician, but then we are told that Glitre Nett has informed us that we cannot sell so much electricity, and they have to come and disconnect the solar cells again, she says.
They have a neighbor who already has a solar system that turns off when the sun conditions are good because the power grid is so bad. Two other neighbors plan to build, but they are not allowed to do so.
All online customers have them straight To send current to the grid as much as the main fuse allows. On the other hand, electric companies are obligated to boost the grid when this happens.
Also Read: You Have to Pay More in Rent Online So Your Neighbor Doesn’t Have to Pay
– Then called the network company, but they say this can take a long time. I ask if this is not an alleged electricity crisis, and one would think they would have electricity – but no, it costs them money to modernize the grid, she says.
It ends with electrical disconnection 38 of the 54 solar cells installed, so that the station sends no more than 6.4 kW to the power grid. As a result, it received a notice of completion for 16 solar panels, instead of the 54 solar panels already purchased and installed.
You lose the right to big Enova support
As if it wasn’t enough that Rebecca lost 70% of her solar system’s power, a new problem has arisen:
Financial support from Enova can only be requested after the production of the solar cell system has begun. But these regulations are not designed for the clients who end up in Rebekka’s situation.
– You cannot apply for Enova before submitting a notice of completion, and you cannot apply multiple times. So even if the bill is for the entire facility, we risk getting only about NOK 15,000, not NOK 48,000, you say.
It cannot wait for the network company to correct the problem. An application deadline is approaching.
– Glitter Nate doesn’t do anything, they just say “we’ll pass the inquiry,” she says, frustrated.
Online company: More and more customers will be able to experience this
Glitter assures Nettavisen that they have a huge challenge with the large influx of new solar panels.
Glitter Nett, like most other grid companies in the country, has noticed a significant increase in inquiries about connecting new solar power systems. From New Year’s to May 1 of this year, the number of excess customers in Agder increased by nearly 30 percent. There are now approximately 2,500 plus customers in Agder and the number is expected to rise sharply in the future.
– It is the network company responsible for the voltage quality in the electricity network. With an ever-increasing number of customers wanting to supply power to the low voltage grid, we will soon find ourselves in a situation where it will be full in some places. The energy grid simply does not have the capacity to receive more production until it is expanded and strengthened. This is the situation with the relevant client at Evje in this case, says Director of Communications Nils Tore Augland at Glitre Nett.
Obviously, the upgrade is the responsibility of the network company.
– This is something we’re constantly working on, but increasingly we’re seeing solar power systems pop up where new aggregate production cannot be delivered to the existing power grid without reinforcements on both the lines and grid stations. In this particular case, the customer has installed a solar cell system with an output that even today exceeds what can be provided in the electricity grid. Glitre Nett has therefore notified the installer that it is not operationally sound to connect more than 6.4 kW before the boost is completed in the line network. The installer transmitted this information to the customer.
He says reinforcements have already been planned for the Rebecca area.
– We hope to start this work in the fall of 2023.
But according to Glitre, there will be more of this kind of problem in the future:
– Five years ago, the average solar cell system in Agder was 3-4 kilowatts, while today it exceeds 10 kilowatts. This leads to the need to strengthen and build a new low-voltage network, which the customers of the network company must pay for in addition to the network rent. In the long run, this may result in higher net rent. It takes much longer to strengthen and develop the power grid than it does to install a solar cell system. Therefore, more and more customers installing solar energy systems may find that they are not being supplied with parts of the electricity they produce when they want it to be, and that is unfortunately the case in this particular case in Evje, he concludes.
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