– There you see the area. Two Labor Party politicians wade easily in the snow and point up to a mountainous area in the village of Hjartdal. They go with big plans in their minds. They propose to turn a forest area of 10,000 acres into a solar park. The area corresponds to approximately five times the size of the center of Oslo and will then become the country’s largest solar park. The power that is produced is intended to go straight into a hunger-prone power grid in Norway and on to the socket in the thousands of homes. The politicians envision making money from taxes and renting out the land. They hope to become a leading figure in “the green shift”. – A win-win situation. I support this, sums up mayor Bengt Halvard Odden (Ap). – This will be a significant production from Hjartdal municipality, believes municipal council politician Audun Dølen (Ap). HAVE BELIEVE: The two Labor Party politicians Audun Dølen (left) and mayor Bengt Halvard Odden are optimists and believe they have convinced the politicians to turn the idea of a solar park into a preliminary project. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news I don’t think it will harm nature Even though the park will take up a lot of space, the mayor believes it will not conflict with anything. Today, there are neither homes, cottages nor industry nearby. According to him, the solar park can also be removed, and nature returned to its original state, if they no longer need the plant in the future. It will be more difficult to do with a hydropower plant or a wind farm, he believes. – Solar power is less controversial than wind power. – But many people want to see this, right? – Yes, but the world is such that people want more renewable energy. So we have considered this to be the most gentle. Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland tells news that he thinks the idea of a new solar park in Hjartdal is interesting. He largely agrees that solar power can be more edible than wind turbines. – I hope we can achieve both, but solar power is perhaps less sensitive. And I want municipalities to do like Hjartdal and look at the possibility of more renewable energy production, as gently as possible, says Aasland. Large parts of the area they want to set aside are to the south and west and will be able to get a lot of sun and light, the politicians believe. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news – The mayor has our number If the municipality gets the maximum out of the area, they think the park can produce over 500 gw/h. This could mean electricity for approximately 25,000 homes a year, according to Skagerak Energi. – Big, exciting and fun. We need large and profitable projects in Skagerak, says communications manager in Skagerak, Thor Bjørn Omnes. He hints that this is not just an airy idea from some politicians, but something that can be implemented. – I will be careful not to get too excited based on the information we have now, but Hjartdal are offensive, and we like that. The mayor has our phone number. The park is planned north of the village of Sauland in Hjartdal municipality. Photo: Hjartdal municipality Don’t want wind turbines In the center of Hjartdal there is not exactly a crisis atmosphere, even if they can get the park nearby. – It could be a smart way to produce electricity in the future and be a bit forward thinking, believes Monicha Brevik. – In any case, I don’t want any large windmills here, Emilie Hegna Kåsa asserts. – It’s really great, that. I don’t want wind power, says Håkon Øygarden, in Kav Telemark dialect.
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Hjartdal can get Norway’s largest solar park – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
