Installing solar cells – Now there is solar cell fever in Norway
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(Elbil24): In the wake of the galloping electricity prices, interest in installing solar panels on private homes has skyrocketed.
There are several good reasons for this.
With solar panels, you produce green energy for yourself, and you can also sell the electricity you don’t use to the grid company. When electricity is expensive, the result is significantly lower electricity bills.
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In addition, Enova provides support for the establishment of a private solar system, with up to NOK 47,500 – depending on the size of the investment. In other words, they take part of the cost associated with acquisition and installation.
All this, combined with high electricity prices that do not seem to be going down anytime soon, means that solar systems on roofs and house walls have become interesting to far more than the enthusiasts.
Repaid faster
– With today’s electricity prices, the customer breaks even in four to five years, instead of ten, which is the norm.
The statement comes from Carl Christian Strømberg at the Solar Cell Specialist. In an interview with NTB, he says that his company plans to install 3,000 solar cells annually in the coming years, and that they expect that every fourth Norwegian will have solar cells on their roof as early as 2030.
– Although solar cells today account for a small fraction of the power in Norway, we know with certainty that solar energy will make up a significant proportion in the future, says Strømberg.
Warning: May run out of power
Already past last year
The Norwegian Directorate of Water Resources and Energy (NVE) confirms to Elbil24 that the solar fever has seriously hit the country.
– Absolutely. By the end of June, we had already installed more solar power in Norway so far this year than was installed in the whole of last year, says chief engineer Jarand Hole at NVE.
He believes that if the high electricity prices persist, the growth of solar power in Norway will go much faster than has been assumed in his analyses.
– They contain a base scenario with 7 TWh of solar power in 2040, which means that we believe that solar power will make an important contribution to the new power generation that will be built from today and the next 10, 20 and 30 years, he says.
In February, Enova increased the maximum subsidy for private solar installations from NOK 20,000 to NOK 47,500. Already at the end of July, they have paid out 10.7 million more in such support than in the whole of last year.
Has increased the support – expect to multiply
– Last year I gave NOK 29.2 million in support to 1,468 facilities. So far this year, we have given 39.9 million to 1,485 facilities. At the end of July, we therefore have more projects than in the whole of last year, says press manager Eiliv Flakne at Enova to Elbil24.
Enova also provides support for equipment that provides smart power management in the home, with up to NOK 10,000. Here, too, there has been a large increase in 2022, according to Enova. Flakne believes that such equipment fits like a glove with a solar system.
– When a solar cell system is installed, it is connected to the mains. Then an app that uses smart technology can control the consumption of electricity to the times when the solar energy provides the greatest possible value for the customer. At the same time, the app controls the objects that use the most electricity in the house, such as the electric car charger, so that you use as little electricity as possible when electricity is expensive, explains Flakne.
– Own solar cell production on the roof, electricity consumption that is controlled automatically according to the electricity price and any new electric vehicles in the garage, is an excellent way forward towards 2050, he says.
This charging setting can save you thousands of pounds
Can be built much faster
Jarand Hole at NVE also believes that solar power will become important for many people in the future.
– We expect the development to continue. Exactly how it will turn out is impossible to say, but it is a relevant point that solar power can be built faster than new wind power and hydropower. Therefore, it is also uncertain when it comes to how much solar power will be built in the coming years, he concludes.
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