– We have a lot to do. People are completely wild, everyone wants solar cells on the roof now, says Erik Surouvy from the company Solcellespesialisten. Together with his colleague Farid Tanan, he has installed 270 solar panels on the roof of a business building in Billingstad in Asker, west of Oslo. The plant will produce 98,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year. – Most of it is probably used here in the building, but it corresponds to the consumption of 4-5 detached houses, says assembly manager Håvard Fjellheim. Large areas available Multiconsult has now made a calculation of the technical potential for the production of solar power in Norway. – There is a lot to do now. People are completely wild, everyone wants solar cells on the roof now, says Erik Surouvy. Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / news – On suitable roofs and facades of commercial buildings, houses, barns and garages, 66 TWh of electricity can be produced a year. That’s about half of what we use in this country, so it’s a lot, says Bjørn Thorud. He has extensive experience with solar energy and has been responsible for the calculation. It was made for Solenergiklyngen, where Thorud is also a board member. – Can provide more than hydropower If “grey areas” are also used, the potential is greater. This includes, among other things, agricultural areas that are no longer used, closed landfills, parking areas where solar cells can be mounted on stands or roofs above. – If we use both buildings and such areas, we can reach almost 200 TWh a year, says Bjørn Thorud. In comparison, 157 TWh of electricity was produced in this country last year, 89 per cent hydropower and 10 per cent wind power. The possibilities for creating solar power in buildings are greatest in South-East Norway and South-West Norway. At the same time, this is where there is the greatest scarcity of electricity and thus the highest prices. The dark area in this block of student housing at Marienlyst in Oslo is solar panels. Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / news Has used a new method Senior engineer Jarand Hole in the Norwegian Directorate of Water Resources and Energy will research the role of solar power in Norway together with NTNU in the coming years. – We have many roofs and surfaces available in Norway, so I am not surprised that the technical potential is great, says Hole. How much of this is built out is another matter, and among other things up to the market to decide. He says Multiconsult has used a method to calculate the solar power potential that no one has used before. Senior engineer Jarand Hole in Norway’s Water Resources and Energy Directorate NVE. Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / news – It’s good. That more smart minds sit down and quantify it is a good thing, says Hole. – It is very good if much of this potential is profitable and is developed. Solar power is the power generation that can be built the fastest, and this report shows that a lot can be built without encroaching on nature, says Hole. Can be of help in the “spring crisis” Thorud emphasizes that he has calculated the technical potential for solar power, not the financial one. – The financial side is a much bigger job, he says. – But in Norway do we get the most power from the sun when we need it the least? – That’s right, but we get it all year round. We just get less in the winter and more in the summer. Some of the best periods in Norway are actually in the spring, and at the same time there is often little water left in the power reservoirs, says Thorud. Bjørn Thorud, Multiconsult. Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / news Solar currently accounts for only 0.15 percent of electricity production in Norway. But high electricity prices have caused demand to skyrocket, so the share is expected to increase. NVE has estimated that in 2040 7 TWh of solar power will be produced in Norway. The calculation from Multiconsult suggests that the technical possibilities are much greater. – Very exciting – I don’t think this is something that will disappear anytime soon, says Farid Annan, fitter for the Solar Cell Specialist. – This is sustainable. Being part of something bigger and learning what that entails, I find that very exciting, he says. Lill-Torunn Source, Solar energy cluster. Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / news The Solar Energy Cluster believes that the conditions for producing electricity from the sun must improve. – It must be easier to build out the large roof surfaces on commercial buildings and be able to share electricity with the neighboring building without being penalized for it, says Lill-Torunn Kilde. She is responsible for communication and public relations in the organisation. In Skjåk in Gudbrandsdalen, there are solar panels on several barn roofs like this one. Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / news Demanding changes Several parties are now demanding that the authorities do more to develop solar power. The Conservative Party proposes, among other things, a separate, temporary support scheme for commercial buildings and that the state should take the lead with its own buildings. In addition, a simplified regulatory framework, which facilitates large-scale solar power. – I expect the government and the Minister of Oil and Energy to take on board the report from Multiconsult and the Conservative Party’s proposal for measures. It could lead to much more renewable energy, which is affordable, without interference with nature and without conflict, writes the party’s energy spokesman Nikolai Astrup. – The demand is great and we have doubled the number of employees in the last year, says assembly manager Håvard Fjellheim at the Solar Cell Specialist. Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / news SV requires a package for energy efficiency and local power production. – The goal must be solar power equivalent to 8 TWh by 2030, writes the party’s energy spokesman, Lars Haltbrekken. The Green Party proposes that the pot in the Klimasat scheme be quadrupled, so that the municipalities get increased support for installing solar cells. – The MDG’s goal is that all municipal roofs that are suitable for it should have solar cells, writes communications advisor Ingvild Wathne Johnsen. Solar panels on suitable buildings can produce almost half of the day’s electricity consumption in Norway if it is expanded on a large scale, according to a new calculation. Photo: Kjartan Rørslett The government: – Will promote local electricity production Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) writes that the government is concerned with local electricity production. – Therefore, this summer we submitted a proposal for consultation that will better facilitate local electricity production in housing associations and on commercial properties with a deadline of 30 September. Furthermore, we have announced that we will survey regulatory barriers as a step in facilitating more establishment of local energy production, writes Aasland. The Minister of Energy also writes that, in connection with the state budget for next year, the government will present a plan with measures to reduce energy use in buildings by at least 10 TWh by 2030.
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Solar power can become bigger than hydropower in Norway – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
