In Molde municipality, it is almost as if they have won the lottery. The municipality alone received NOK 46 million of Enova’s pot of NOK 102 million. – It tells me that someone in Molde gets up early in the morning and writes well-founded applications with effective measures, says Vidar Pedersen, head of communications and marketing at Enova. Was a competition The money will be used to reduce electricity bills in municipal housing. Enova will not say how many of the 356 municipalities applied for support, but 17 of those who applied received funding. The municipalities competed for the money. Those who wanted to save the most electricity per subsidy kroner from Enova received the best payout. In Molde, they were open to trying something new to improve the municipal economy. – We understood very well how Enova emphasized the various energy measures, and sharpened the applications accordingly, explains Jørgen Gravdehaug Stensby in Smart Molde. Jørgen Gravdehaug Stensby is on a roof in Nøysomhetsveien in Molde where solar cells are to be installed. Photo: Remi Sagen / news Getting solar cells on the roof The municipalities could apply for a total of nine measures, such as solar cells, heat pumps and post-insulation of external walls. – We saw that heat pumps and solar cells turned out well, better than, for example, external insulation. So we focused on solar cells and the heat pumps, says Stensby. Representatives from Molde municipality are in the process of planning how they will implement the measures they have received support for. Photo: Remi Sagen / news And it paid off. Molde municipality has been granted support for solar cells that can produce up to 3,599 kilowatts per hour. – With the sunny conditions here, the solar cell system can potentially cover the annual electricity consumption for 260-300 small flats. This will be absolutely fantastic, says Stensby. Molde municipality was also granted support of NOK 2.6 million for the installation of heat pumps in four municipal buildings that are rented out. Both the municipality and the residents want to save. The municipality is now in the process of checking whether it is possible to put the solar cells directly on the roof, or whether they have to do something before the installation can start. – We have been given a unique opportunity to install new technology on our properties. It is technology that will also benefit the tenants, says Gerd Elin Løken, head of department at Molde eiendom KF. – We will have to come back to implementation and allocation keys when we have had a closer look at the project and the technical solutions, says Gerd Elin Løken. Photo: Remi Sagen / news The calculation shows that Molde municipality will save a lot of money when the measure is in place. How much they want to save depends on the electricity price. – But as an example, 2.4 gigawatt hours of self-produced electricity annually at, for example, an electricity price of 40 øre per kilowatt-hour, save about NOK 960,000 in electricity costs. The electricity bills of those who live in the municipal housing will be reduced as they will be allowed to use solar cell technology to produce their own electricity. – The tax is still there. The measure will also make Molde a greener city. – We need more power, and I believe that solar cells are a great way to produce power. Then you don’t need to take drastic measures in nature, the roof is still there, says Ole Bertil Tveita Tingvoll, climate advisor in Molde municipality. The deadline for completing the project is set for 2025. – We only have time and the road. Ole Bertil Tveita Tingvoll Photo: Remi Sagen / news – Require a wise way The funds for the support will come from the budget agreement between the Government and SV in November 2021. Then the license to Enova was increased by, among other things, NOK 100 million which was supposed to go to energy measures in households. – The transition to a low-emission society requires that we use energy wisely. It is our hope that this support leads to increased renewable energy production and a reduced energy demand, says Nils Kristian Nakstad, managing director of Enova.
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Molde expanded its horizons and received NOK 46 million
