More and more people want cabin roofs with solar cells
Record high electricity prices and greater environmental commitment mean that more cottage owners choose to cover their cottage roofs with solar panels. Over time, there is money to be saved.
In October, an electricity record was set in this country. According to the power exchange Nord Pool, the electricity price was NOK 1.43 per kilowatt hour on average throughout the day in Eastern Norway, Southern Norway and Western Norway. This, as well as a rising climate commitment among us Norwegians, means that many cottage owners are now installing photovoltaic systems on their cottage roofs.
– Many cottage owners are tired of high bills for electricity and grid rent on property that is used minimally. By installing solar panels on the roof, the fast costs for electricity and grid rent are reduced by approx. the same as it costs to have loan-financed solar panels on the roof, says Andreas Thorsheim, founder, co-owner and general manager of Otovo.
After holiday homes also joined the support scheme from En three years ago, the cottage market now accounts for around seven percent of total solar cell sales in Norway.
– In the large cottage municipalities, such as Ringsaker, Flå and Ål, solar cells in holiday homes now make up 70 percent of the market, he says. This will only increase in the years ahead, Thorsheim believes.
also read
Now you can get solar cell roofs as standard
Get support
– If we imagine a plant that costs 120,000 kroner to install and with an electricity price of around 1.50 kroner per kilowatt hour, it will mean a saving of around 9000 kroner a year, a bit depending on where the cabins are located. Sea cabins often have an even better saving as they have more sunny conditions, says Thorsheim.
When the 120,000 kroner you have invested has been repaid, you have free electricity accordingly. The support you also get from Enova for mounting makes you come out even cheaper.
– A normal cabin system is at 6000 watts, says Thorsheim.
Katrine Isaksen is among those who have changed energy source. 20 m² of her south-facing cottage roof on Hankø is now clad with black solar panels. Although the investments cost 300,000 kroner, she has not regretted a day. The price tag also includes helicopter freight of the solar panel, as the cabin does not have a road all the way to the front.
– I have worked a lot abroad and have seen that a lot of solar cells are used for heating in Southern Europe. In addition, I am also interested in being on the environment. After I was able to add water, I could use the cabin much more and that was when the idea of solar panels on the roof began to mature, she says.
also read
– All electricians who know solar cells are out and about
However, she thinks it was a difficult mark to move into. It was only after she attended an information meeting in Østfold about the use of solar cells that it came loose.
– I should do something with the roof anyway and then it fit well. My roommate thought this was completely stillborn, he thought it would take a long time before this would pay off. But it was my cabin and my money, so I was never in doubt, she says.
Better than zero rent
– I was concerned that the solar cells had to merge with the roof tiles on the cabin. That’s why I chose black solar panels. It was also important to me that these records should not be a nuisance to others, she says.
The solar cell roof was installed in 2019, and provides 6000 watts. Today, she does not pay a penny in either electricity or grid rent. All electricity produced that she does not use herself is sold on to the market.
– For me, this was an investment. Instead of putting this money in a bank account without much rent, I think this was a better investment. Besides, I do something for the environment, she says.
As Hankø is not the snowiest place in Norway, the solar cell roof produces electricity much longer of the year than some cabins on the mountain.
– There are several cottage residents who have been beyond pure curiosity, I think therefore there are many who will invest in solar cell technology in the coming years, she says.
A little west of Geilo, in Ustedalen, Anders Rytter has done the same at his family’s cabin from 1913. The south-facing roof now consists of 20 solar panels, which together provide 7.9 watts. He paid 110,000 kroner for that, in addition he received a grant of 17,000 kroner from Enova.
also read
Installed 94 gigawatts in 2021: The wind industry’s next best year
– With our agreement with the electricity company, we save somewhere between 8000 to 9000 kroner a year, he says.
They sell all overproduction of electricity they do not use, back to the power market.
– When you are going to install solar panels, it is not the point how much power the cabin itself needs. We do not use more than around 2000 kilowatt hours of what we produce. The plant produces around 7,000 kilowatt hours in a year. The agreement we have with our electricity company means that they buy up to 5,000 of these 7,000, for NOK 1.25 per. kilowatt hours, he says.
Goes automatically
A separate inverter makes the transition between when you use electricity from the photovoltaic system and the traditional power grid go automatically. In addition to free electricity, they also avoid paying grid rent and electricity tax.
So far, however, it is not relevant to cut the traditional power supply for good.
– If the cabin had been located in the southern latitudes, where the solar radiation is more evenly distributed, it would have been an alternative. Winter time depends on using traditional electricity, he says.
There are no battery solutions that are powerful enough to store the surplus power through the winter either.
– I used one of these solar energy calculators available online, where you can just taste your address. Then I realized that I could produce a lot of my own electricity as the cabin was, he says.
also read
The Conservatives want 20 times more offshore wind than the government by 2035
Solar panels can be mounted on most types of roofs, both new and older cabins. Rider has long been curious about alternative energy sources. The decision to go for solar energy at the cabin he made this spring.
– I have always been concerned with the environment and energy solutions. This decision was made out of pure common sense. Here in Norway, we have lots of south-facing roof surfaces, which can produce electricity. These roof surfaces will also save our water reservoir, he says.
Same technology
Solcellekraft AS is among the players that now supply solar panels outside roofs, pitched roofs or flat roofs, as well as roof-integrated solar cell panels. This means that the panels blend in with the existing roof instead of being on top.
– Solar cells on the roof of a cabin are still fairly new, but it is starting to move. Among other things, we have been contacted by developers who want to offer solar cells on roofs in large cabin fields. Especially in Hallingdal and Nore and Uvdal, this has become a trend, says Jarle Sørås, professional manager at Solcellekraft.
He is also chairman of the board of the Norwegian Solar Energy Association.
In Norway, it is common to have smaller solar cell systems in cabins, and these are independent of the power grid. The old solar panels were used to get some light in the cabins. As the standard of the cabins has increased and more people have received electricity, there has also been less demand for these smaller photovoltaic systems. But now comes the roof panels.
– This is basically the same type of technology that Norwegian cottage owners were world leaders in using in the 1970s, only that these solar panels are almost ten times more powerful, says Sørås.