– He was a bit grumpy yesterday, because the weather was bad then. Marion Andersen Garafalo laughs and looks away at her husband Gennaro, who has his eyes fixed on a power app on his phone. In it, he has a full overview of daily electricity production and own consumption, after the couple installed solar cells in January this year. – We probably arrived a bit before everyone else, but the decision was made because prices are increasing, they say. So far this year, more people have applied for support to set up solar cells on their own homes than in the whole of last year. The solar panels on the roof of the couple in Lier can just be seen over the hedge from the neighbour’s plot. Photo: Kristin Granbo / news 134% increase After electricity prices really skyrocketed last autumn, it had a noticeable effect on the demand for private solar installations in Norway. READ: Enova, which distributes financial support to private facilities, has already approved more applications than they did all of last year. Anna Barnwell in Enova says applications and distribution of financial support for self-production of electricity have increased this year. Photo: Morten Andersen / news – So far this year, there has been a 134% increase in submitted applications, compared to 2021, says Anna Barnwell, who is marketing manager for service provision and end use at Enova. So far this year, they have approved 1,954 cases of support for solar cell systems on private homes, last year the figure was 1,468 at the end of the year. Until now in 2022, they have distributed more than 50 million for the establishment of private solar cells. Earlier this year, they increased support for those who want to produce their own electricity, and private customers can now receive up to NOK 47,500 for setting up solar cells. This is the Enova subsidy for solar cells The installation of the solar cell system gives you NOK 7,500 in support. The rest of the support depends on how much capacity the facility has. You get NOK 2,000 per kWp of installed power, up to 20 kW. The largest facilities can receive up to NOK 47,500 in total. You can get more money back if you combine electricity production with other energy measures, such as solar collectors or smart power management. So far this year, Enova has paid out NOK 54.2 million in support for private solar systems. (Total 1954 facilities). The background for the support is to give people a chance to enter the market in sufficient volume for the price to go down and distribution and awareness to increase. This makes the solutions cheaper and more accessible to everyone. Source: Enova Solar company Otovo confirms the development. They say that demand tripled almost overnight in September 2021. – The level has remained at this high level throughout the autumn, winter and has increased throughout the spring and summer, says Otovo CEO Andreas Thorsheim to news. Photo: Kristin Granbo / news They say that the demand in Europe is also high, and that the waiting time for delivery and installation has increased. – Last year you could have solar cells installed within 3-6 months, now it takes 6-9 months, in some places even longer. Showers and puts on the washing machine when the sun is shining In the home of Marion and Gennaro Garafalo, they are self-sufficient in electricity when the sun is shining. This results in them charging the electric car and taking care to use the washing machine and hot water when the weather is clear. Gennaro Garafalo can follow the production of electricity from the solar cells and the consumption in the household from an app on his phone. Photo: Kristin Granbo / news – We try to think a little about when we shower and when we use electricity around the house. The investment has given the couple greater control over what they spend and what they have left over, they say. If they produce more than they themselves use, they can sell away. This makes them so-called plus electricity customers. 10,000 plus customers According to the Solar Energy Cluster, which is a national business cluster for the solar energy industry in Norway, there are no exact figures on how many private homes in Norway have installed solar panels. But NVE’s statistics on plus customers give a small indication, says general manager of the Solar Energy Cluster, Trine Kopstad Berentsen. It shows that there are now just over 10,000 plus customers in Norway, of which 85% are households. Berentsen believes that the potential is not being utilized well enough. – In total, Norway has approx. 4 million buildings. This means that if we have 10,000 plus customers with solar cells, we have utilized 0.25% of the total building stock. – Can cover two thirds of consumption The solar energy cluster organizes 95 per cent of everyone who deals with solar energy in Norway. According to their calculations, a normal solar cell system on a private home will cost between NOK 100,000 and 200,000. It will produce 7,000–20,000 kWh per year for thirty years, somewhat depending on where in the country the facility is located. – It is enough to cover between one third and two thirds of the consumption in a normal household. She adds that all homes are different. Profitability is also affected by where you live. – There is the most money to be made in Eastern Norway and Southern Norway, but there is also money to be saved on solar cells in Inland Norway and South-Western Norway. – If it continues, we should fill the entire roof. The one-off expense to install the solar panels was a rather large cut in the finances for the married couple from Lier. The package they went for cost NOK 100,000 and with a support from Enova of NOK 19,000, the total expenditure was NOK 79,000. – This is a long-term investment, but we feel we have saved on it already because the current is so high. Marion Garafalo says she is considering installing more solar panels on the roof if electricity prices continue at the same level. Photo: Kristin Granbo / news From January to now, according to their own calculations, they have saved approximately NOK 8,000. – We started with 16 panels, but we have regretted a little that we did not fill the ceiling. If electricity prices continue in this way, we should fill the entire roof, says Marion Garafalo. Anna Barnwell at Enova says that the aim of the support they distribute is that, in the long term, it will make the technology available to more people. – We support those who take the lead so that such solutions become competitive in the long term, cheaper and more accessible to everyone.
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Never before have so many applied for support to set up their own solar cells – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
