Solar power can become bigger than hydropower in Norway – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
– We have a lot to do. People are completely wild, everyone want solar cells on the roof now, says Erik Surouvy from the company Solcellespesialisten.
Together with his colleague Farid Tanan, he has installed 270 solar panels on the roof of a business building in Billingstad in Asker, west of Oslo.
The plant will produce 98,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year.
– Most of it is probably used here in the building, but it corresponds to the consumption of 4-5 detached houses, says assembly manager Håvard Fjellheim.
Large areas available
Multiconsult has now made a calculation of the technical potential for the production of solar power in Norway.
– On suitable roofs and facades of commercial buildings, houses, barns and garages can produce 66 TWh of electricity a year. That’s about half of what we use in this country, so it’s a lot, says Bjørn Thorud.
He has extensive experience with solar energy and has been responsible for the calculation. It was made for Solenergiklyngen, where Thorud is also a board member.
– Can provide more than hydropower
If “grey areas” are also used, the potential is greater. This includes, among other things, agricultural areas that are no longer used, closed landfills, parking areas where solar cells can be mounted on stands or taken over.
– If we use both buildings and such areas, we can reach almost 200 TWh a year, says Bjørn Thorud.
In comparison, 157 TWh of electricity was produced in this country last year, 89 per cent hydropower and 10 per cent wind power.
The possibilities for creating solar power in buildings are greatest in South-East Norway and South-West Norway. At the same time, this is where there is the greatest scarcity of electricity and thus the highest prices.
Have used a new method
Senior engineer Jarand Hole in Norway’s Water Resources and Energy Directorate will research the role of solar power in Norway together with NTNU in the coming years.
– We have many roofs and flats available in Norway, so I am not surprised that the technical potential is great, says Hole.
How much of this is built out is another matter, and among other things up to the market to decide.
He says Multiconsult has used a method to calculate the solar power potential that no one has used before.
– It’s a bra. That more smart minds sit down and quantify it is a good thing, says Hole.
– It is very good if much of this potential is profitable and is developed. Solar power is the power generation that can be built the fastest, and this report shows that a lot can be built without encroaching on nature, says Hole.
Can be of help in the “spring crisis”
Thorud wrote that he has calculated it technical the potential for solar power, not that economic.
– The financial side is a much bigger job, he says.
– But in Norway we get the most power from the sun when we need it the least?
– That’s right, but we far the whole year. We just get less in the winter and more in the summer. Some of the best periods in Norway are actually in the spring, and at the same time there is often little left in the power storages, says Thorud.
Solar currently accounts for only 0.15 percent of electricity production in Norway. But high electricity prices have caused demand to skyrocket, so the share is expected to increase.
NVE has estimated that in 2040 7 TWh of solar power will be produced in Norway. The calculation from Multiconsult suggests that the technical possibilities are much greater.
– Very exciting
– I don’t think this is something that will disappear anytime soon, says Farid Annan, fitter for Solar Cell Specialist.
– This is sustainable. Being part of something bigger and learning what that entails, I find that very exciting, he says.
The solar energy cluster believes that the conditions for producing electricity from the sun must improve.
– It must be easier to build out the large roof surfaces in commercial buildings and be able to share electricity with the neighboring building without being penalized for it, says Lill-Torunn Kilde. She is responsible for communication and public relations in the organisation.
Requires changes
Several parties are now demanding that the authorities do more to develop solar power.
The Conservative Party proposes, among other things, a separate, temporary support scheme for commercial buildings and that the state should take the lead with its own buildings. In addition, a simplified regulatory framework, which facilitates large-scale solar power.
– I expect the government and the Minister of Oil and Energy to take on board the report from Multiconsult and the Conservative Party’s proposal for measures. It could lead to much more renewable energy, which is affordable, without interference with nature and without conflict, writes the party’s energy spokesman Nikolai Astrup.
SV requires a package for energy efficiency and local power production.
– The goal must be solar power equivalent to 8 TWh by 2030, writes the party’s energy spokesman, Lars Haltbrekken.
The Green Party proposes that the pot in the Klimasat scheme be quadrupled, so that the municipality receives increased support for installing solar cells.
– The MDG’s goal is that all municipal roofs that are suitable for it should have solar cells, writes communications advisor Ingvild Wathne Johnsen.
The government: – Will promote local electricity production
Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) writes that the government is concerned with local electricity production.
– Therefore, this summer we submitted a proposal for consultation that will better facilitate local electricity production in housing associations and on commercial properties starting on 30 September. Furthermore, we have announced that we will survey regulatory barriers as a step in facilitating more establishment of local energy production, writes Aasland.
The Minister of Energy is also writing to the government in connection with next year’s state budget to present a plan with measures to reduce energy use in buildings by at least 10 TWh by 2030.