Solar power could get bigger than hydropower in Norway – NRK Norway – News overview from different parts of the country

– We have a lot to do. People are absolutely savage, Everyone We want rooftop solar cells now, says Eric Sorovi of Solcellespesialisten.

He and his colleague Fred Tanan installed 270 solar panels on the roof of a commercial building in Bellingstadt in Askar, west of Oslo.

The plant will produce 98,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

Most of them are likely to be used here in the building, but correspond to the consumption of 4-5 detached houses, says assembly manager Håvard Fjellheim.

Large spaces available

Multiconsult has now calculated the technical potential of solar energy production in Norway.

On roofs and facades suitable for commercial buildings, homes, barns and garages, 66 TWh of electricity can be produced annually. That’s about half of what we use in this country, so it’s a lot, says Bjorn Thorod.

He has extensive experience in the field of solar energy and was responsible for the calculation. It was made for Solenergiklyngen, of which Thorud is also a board member.

Can provide more than hydroelectric power

If ‘gray areas’ are also used, the probability is greater. This includes, among other things, agricultural areas that are no longer in use, closed landfills, and car parks where solar cells can be installed on stands or roofs above.

If we use buildings and such areas, we can get to close to 200 TWh per year, says Bjorn Thorod.

By comparison, 157 TWh of electricity was produced in this country last year, 89 percent from hydropower and 10 percent from wind power.

The potential for solar energy generation in buildings is greatest in southeastern Norway and southwestern Norway. At the same time, this is where there is a greater scarcity of electricity and therefore the highest prices.

I used a new method

Chief Engineer Jarand Hall at the Norwegian Directorate of Water Resources and Energy will research the role of solar energy in Norway with NTNU in the coming years.

– We have many roofs and decks available in Norway, so I’m not surprised that the technical potential is great, says Hall.

How much of this is generated is another matter, and among other things, it is up to the market to decide.

He says Multiconsult used a method for calculating the potential of solar energy that no one had used before.

– it is good. It’s a good thing, Hall says, that the smartest minds sit down and decide their size.

It is very good that a lot of this potential is profitable and developed. Solar is the power generation that can be built faster, says Hall, and this report shows that much more can be built without encroaching on nature.

It can help with the ‘spring crisis’

Thorod confirms that he has calculated it Technical The possibility of solar energy, not that economic.

– He says the financial side is a much bigger business.

– But in Norway, do we get the most energy from the sun when we need it least?

– That’s right, but we Sheep The whole year. We get less in the winter and more in the summer. Some of the best periods in Norway are actually in the spring, Thorod says, while at the same time there is often little water left in the power tanks.

Solar energy currently accounts for only 0.15 percent of Norway’s electricity production. But higher electricity prices have caused demand to rise, so the share is expected to increase.

NVE has estimated that in 2040 7 TWh of solar energy will be produced in Norway. The calculation from Multiconsult indicates that the technical possibilities are much greater.

– Exciting

– I don’t think that’s something that’s going to go away any time soon, says Fred Annan, a solar cell repairman.

– This is sustainable. He says that being a part of something bigger and learning what that entails, I find it very exciting.

The solar group believes that the conditions for producing electricity from the sun should improve.

It should be easier to build large rooftops in commercial buildings and be able to share electricity with the building next door without being penalized for it, says Lill-Torunn Kilde. She is responsible for the communications and public relations of the organization.

requires changes

Several parties are now calling on the authorities to do more to develop solar energy.

The Conservative Party is proposing, among other things, a separate and temporary support scheme for commercial buildings and that the state should take the lead with its own buildings. Plus a simplified regulatory framework, facilitating large-scale solar energy.

– I expect the Government and the Minister of Oil and Energy to take on the Multiconsult report and the Conservative Party’s proposal on measures. This could lead to more renewable energy, which is affordable, without interfering with nature and without conflict, party energy spokesman Nikolai Astrup wrote.

SV requires a package for energy efficiency and domestic energy production.

– The goal should be 8 TWh solar power by 2030, wrote the party’s energy spokesman, Lars Haltbriken.

The Green Party proposes that the pot in the Klimasat scheme be quadrupled, so that municipalities will receive increased support for the installation of solar cells.

The goal of the Millennium Development Goals is that all municipal roofs suitable for them should have solar cells, writes communications consultant Ingvild Wathne Johnsen.

The government: – It will work to enhance the production of electricity locally

Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) wrote that the government is interested in domestic electricity production.

– Therefore, this summer we submitted a proposal for consultation that would better facilitate the production of domestic electricity in residential and commercial real estate associations with the deadline of September 30. Furthermore, we announced that we will clear regulatory barriers as a step in facilitating the establishment of more domestic energy production, writes Aasland.

The Minister of Energy also wrote that with regard to the state budget for next year, the government will present a plan that includes measures to reduce energy use in buildings by at least 10 TWh by 2030.