– I want to warn people about what they are risking, says home owner André Gjerde. He had long dreamed of solar panels on the roof. At the same time, the electricity price had increased. – I thought that now is the time, says André. He ordered a solar system through Fjordkraft. Several months after the solar cell system on the house in Kristiansund was installed, it has still not been approved. Therefore, it has not delivered as much as one kilowatt-hour of electricity either. In the spring it will be taken away. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news The installers came from the Solar Cell Specialist. The solar system was not even fully installed when the problem started in August last year. The local electricity authority in Kristiansund came for an inspection and found that no electrician had been present when the solar panels were installed. Nor had they worked under the supervision of an electrician, as the regulations require. – The solar panels were installed by unskilled workers, says manager Tarjei Kulø of the local electricity inspection in the network company Mellom. Cables from the solar panels on the roof hung loosely on the wall, about one meter above the ground. The Norwegian Electricity Authority believes that this could both mean a fire hazard and a risk of getting current through the body if children touched them or tried to hold them against each other. Photo: Det lokale eltilsyn / Mellom Failure of many solar cell systems In the last two years, solar cell systems have been installed in approximately 15,000 residential buildings in this country. There are errors in many of the installations. The Norwegian Electricity Authority in Kristiansund also found several physical faults at André Gjerde and Laura Young’s plant. Among other things, the ends of cables from the solar panels hung loosely on the wall about one meter above the ground. The voltage in the cables was measured at 320 volts and 356 volts. It is far higher than in a normal socket, which has 230 volts. – You could have been shocked if you had touched the ends, says Tarjei Kulø, head of the Norwegian Electricity Authority in the network company Mellom in Kristiansund. In August, the local electricity authority banned the use of the solar system due to faults. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news Meiner it could have led to a fire The inspectorate wrote in its report that in the worst case it could have led to a fire if, for example, children had tried to put the pipes together. – Unskilled workers were used to install the solar panels, says Tarjei Kulø, head of the local electricity authority in Kristiansund. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news – We disagree with those claims, says Carl Christian Strømberg, founder and managing director of Solcellespesialisten. He believes there was only a theoretical danger that someone could get electrocuted. – But in the light of hindsight, we probably should have hung these cables higher on the wall, but we had not finished the installation when the Norwegian Electricity Authority came, says Strømberg. The Norwegian Electricity Authority demanded that the plant be overhauled with an electrician present. The Solcellesspecialisten did that in the autumn. Carl Christian Strømberg in Solar Cell Specialist says that the customer service could have been better. Photo: Lars Håkon Pedersen / news – Still too many deviations But the Norwegian Electricity Authority believes that the plant still cannot be approved. The inspectorate wrote in the report after reassembly, among other things, that not all cables and plugs on the roof were properly supported to prevent wear and tear. Safety information was not written in Norwegian, the risk assessment had not been good enough, and there was a lack of documentation on several things, the inspectorate said. Too literal? The solar cell specialist suggests that the local electricity authority is too literal. – They read the rules completely verbatim, says Strømberg. – No, we follow the requirements of the regulations on how it should be done, replies Tarjei Kulø of the Norwegian Electricity Authority. In any case, the couple has not received a single kilowatt-hour of electricity from the solar system into their house. And the 93,000 kroner they paid in advance, they only got back last week. The solar specialist is the largest supplier of solar systems in this country. The company has its head office in Fredrikstad. Photo: Lars Håkon Pedersen / news Giving up on meeting demands His company had until 19 November to correct the deviations that were pointed out in the latest inspection report from Kristiansund. They have not done that. – We saw that the total number of deviations, which mainly concern documentation, is so large that we will never be able to correct them all. And if we can’t do it all together, the plant will not be approved, says the boss of the Solar Cell Specialist. The largest supplier of solar cell systems in this country therefore gives up on meeting the requirements of the Norwegian Electricity Authority in Kristiansund. – We will come and take down the facility in the spring, says Strømberg. – I had wanted a solar panel for a long time. But I didn’t think it would end this way, says the home owner in Kristiansund. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news Frustrated homeowners The couple in Kristiansund are fed up with endless e-mails and fussing back and forth after the solar system was installed. – It is so disappointing, says Laura Young. – I want to warn people about what they risk getting into, quite simply. Be careful, says André Gjerde. The solar cell specialist admits that the customers in Kristiansund could have been treated better, and says that part of the explanation is the long drive to Kristiansund. Fjordkraft: – Not handled well enough Fjordkraft, which sold the solar plant, wrote that those who order solar cells should have a good customer experience. “This specific matter has not been handled well enough, for which our supplier has taken responsibility,” writes communications manager Jon Vaag Eikeland. André and his wife have now received offers for solar panels from other suppliers. – But I think we’d rather spend the money on a new kitchen, he says. There were no electricians present when these solar panels were installed. They came later. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news
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– I want to warn others – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
