– It doesn’t feel right at all, says Ove Helgesen (57) behind the computer screen as he looks at a letter from Modum municipality. The general manager of Hydropower AS has just postponed plans for a solar park in an old logging field and a field outside Vikersund. Again. – It’s completely insane, completely absurd, says the energetic man as he runs his hands over his long gray hair. It’s almost like he lifts off his chair in frustration. Photo: Philippe Bédos Ulvin / news Ove refers, among other things, to the Energy Commission’s report, which calls for a 33-fold increase in solar power in Norway by 2030. (From left) Torvald, Ove and Lars study a letter from Modum municipality on the land where they want to build solar cell plant outside Vikersund. Photo: Philippe Bédos Ulvin / news At the same time, Ove is experiencing that the plans to build the solar plant, with a capacity of 2.25 megawatts, are being opposed on several levels. By the administration in the municipality, and by the State Administrator in Oslo and Viken. – It has been more or less “hell” from day 1, says Ove while shaking his head. – We’re not a castle in the air. Everything is thoroughly organised, explains Ove’s right-hand man, Lars Røken (35), who takes care of the application process. – We have been through everything, says Lars. – It’s not a castle in the air we’re dealing with, says Ove. Hydropower has an agreement with the site’s owner, farmer Torvald Hovde Saastad, to lease the areas on which the solar cell system will be installed for 25 years. All the equipment, worth NOK 10 million, has been purchased. It is in the snow up on the ground. The solar park will be used as a grazing area for sheep in a combination solution. The sheep have already been bred. The electricity from the facility is in a charging station for electric cars, and to produce hydrogen. The municipality: – Can’t build on cultivated and arable land The municipality and the state administrator point out, however, that the area Ove, Lars and Torvald want to build on is productive land and cultivated land. In order to be allowed to redistribute the area, they must obtain a dispensation. This is where it sucks. “The municipality’s professional assessment is still that cultivated and arable land should be reserved for food production. The arable land is “our reserve”, and must also not be reduced,” writes the agricultural office in Modum municipality in its preliminary assessment on 17 February. Specifically, it concerns Section 9 of the Land Act, which states that “Arable land must not be used for purposes that are not aimed at agricultural production. Cultivable land must not be disposed of in such a way that it is not suitable for agricultural production in the future….” Ove looks at an SMS from Torvald at the office in Mjøndalen, which is also Nedre Eiker’s oldest house, a wooden house built in 1645. Photo: Philippe Bédos Ulvin / news It is the latest in a series of negative feedback, postponements and refusals. They have been working on the project for almost two years, and it may never come to fruition. Despite the fact that Norway is crying out for more green power. But Ove is still optimistic. – That’s probably how he’s screwed up, says Lars while Ove runs back and forth in the old wooden house that is their office, looking for documents. And Hydropower is not alone. The plant in Vikersund is competing with several others to become Norway’s first, and therefore largest, ground-mounted solar plant. Even so, the planned park is small, with an area of only 11 acres. For comparison, there are plans for a facility in Seval forest outside Gjøvik, with an area of 1,200 acres. A few kilometers away, in another part of the Tyrifjord, there are some other solar entrepreneurs facing the wall. Fossen Utvikling will create Norway’s most environmentally friendly housing development on Tanberghøgda above Hønefoss. Frederik, Bjørn and Tom from Fossen development stand above the ravine valley where they want to build a solar plant. Photo: Philippe Bédos Ulvin / news – Like watching a painted wall dry In Hønefoss, it is Fossen Utvikling that will build a ground-mounted solar plant of 0.5 MW. The plan is for the homes in the development to be self-sufficient with solar power and batteries. – We are one of the first projects that is likely to actually achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, says Frederik Skarstein (55), general manager at Fossen. Frederik Skarstein, general manager of Fossen Utvikling, looks beyond Tanberghøgda. Photo: Philippe Bédos Ulvin / news He thinks the process has been demanding. – It’s like watching a painted wall dry, he sighs. The problem for Fossen is that they want to build the solar plant in a clay ravine valley, which is a protected natural area. Ravine valley on Tanberghøgda where Fossen Utvikling will build a solar plant. “Based on the fact that clay ravines are a landscape form that is assessed as endangered (VU) in the Norwegian Red List for Nature Types 2018, and are natural areas where natural processes of erosion and change of terrain and landscape take place over time, we would advise against using such areas for development”, writes the State Administrator in Oslo and Viken in a consultation opinion on the matter. – But the project will affect only 1.5 per cent of the ravine valleys in the area. Moreover, mounting these panels is a very small intervention. They are attached with ground screws, which can be lifted out when the plant’s service life is over, explains Bjørn Skoglund (62), who is project manager for the energy park. Project manager for energy in Fossen Utvikling in Hønefoss, Bjørn Skoglund (62). Photo: Philippe Bédos Ulvin / news However, the State Administrator in Oslo and Viken and Viken County Municipality believes that the plant cannot be built. They believe that the zoning plan for the area must then be changed. – I think it’s all about ignorance, says Tom Pedersen (57), project manager for outdoor environments. He points out that neither the State Administrator nor the county council have visited the plot. Solar power expert: – It is painful and difficult to be an early adopter Chief researcher for solar power at the Institute of Energy Technology (IFE), Erik Marstein, is well aware of the challenges faced by solar power entrepreneurs. Erik Marstein at IFE says the EU can have a good solution in creating pre-approved categories for areas where solar cell systems can be built. Photo: Philippe Bédos Ulvin / news – The landowner can be positive, the municipality can be positive, and then the State Administrator still says that it is not okay. It is not difficult to understand that this is a frustrating process, says Marstein. He says it is particularly difficult to build ground-mounted facilities. – Then you need land, and where it is easiest and cheapest to develop, there is often the greatest potential for conflict. Flat areas close to infrastructure are usually agricultural land, forests or open air areas. Marstein hopes these early projects will set guidelines for future developments: – It is painful and difficult to be early. We in the industry are afraid of going on a rampage like wind power has done. You don’t need many cases where some considerations are violated before all developments come to an abrupt halt. At the same time, it is very easy to find conflict-free solutions such as solar power on the roof. Frederik Skarstein has invited Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide to visit the planned facility at Tanberghøgda. Will have clear directives from the government The equipment for the solar cell plant at Tanberghøgda has been purchased. Solar cells worth NOK 4 million are in storage and gathering dust. – I have great faith in this project, says Frederik. Equipment for solar cell systems is in storage in Hønefoss. Photo: Philippe Bédos Ulvin / news – We are, after all, environmentalists. If we get this project done, we can show that it is possible to solve Norway’s power shortage in a green way, explains Frederik as he shows off the site. Both he and Ove in Vikersund are calling for clearer directives from the government to the municipalities, the state administrator and the county council. Modum municipality also agrees. – We strongly hope that there will soon be more precise national policy guidelines on this, especially from the Directorate of Agriculture, writes Modum’s technical manager, Harald Silseth to news. – They should create a separate scheme to help those who want to develop solar systems. Or at least instruct the municipalities, the state administrator and the county council that this is something we must prioritize, says Frederik. Photo: Philippe Bédos Ulvin / news – We would like Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) to send a clear directive to the municipalities, says Ove, amused. – Now he has been to Canada and boasted a lot about the new nature agreement. Then he comes home and does nothing to put it into action. This is a solution that is gentle on nature and the climate, he emphasizes. Both the Ministry of Climate and the Environment and the Ministry of Oil and Energy refer to the Ministry of Local Government and District Affairs in this matter. Here is the answer from State Secretary Kjersti Bjørnstad in its entirety: Answer from State Secretary Kjersti Bjørnstad (Sp) in KDD As a general rule, a measure must always be in accordance with the spatial plan. This is important so that the municipality can better manage land use, and to ensure that land allocation issues are dealt with through thorough planning processes. The ministry works continuously to improve and streamline planning processes and construction case processing, as well as simplifying the regulations in the Planning and Building Act. In 2017, among other things, simpler rules were introduced for changing zoning plans. There is guidance on these rules in the ministry’s legal commentary to the Planning and Building Act and in the zoning plan guide. There is also guidance on the dispensation provision.
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– More or less “hell” – news – Klima
