Solar cells are really taking off in Norway, after electricity prices skyrocketed. The number of new plants being put into operation is going through the roof.
But this is a development that does not go smoothly.
Read also: The solar cells cut electricity production when the sun conditions are best
One of those who has experienced this is Rebekka Undeland. In the autumn of last year, she had 54 solar panels installed on the barn on the small farm in Flatebygd in Southern Norway, which should be able to produce 19.9 kW.
The price for the whole thing was around NOK 400,000, but
State enterprise that can provide support for climate measures
“/>should cover NOK 48,000 when it was finished.
Surprise after surprise
After a somewhat messy process of registering as
After being sent back and forth between the electrician and Glitre Nett, the shock message arrives:
– I complain to the electrician, but then we are told that Glitre Nett has informed us that we cannot sell that much electricity, and they have to come and disconnect the solar cells again, she says.
They have a neighbor who already has a solar system that switches off when the sun conditions are good because the power grid is so bad. Two other neighbors plan to build out, but are not allowed.
All online customers have straight to send out as much current to the network as the main fuse allows. The electricity companies, on the other hand, are obliged to reinforce the network when this happens.
Read also: You have to pay more in online rent so that your neighbor does not have to pay
– I then call the network company, but they say this can take a long time. I ask if it is not an alleged electricity crisis, and one would think they would have electricity – but no, it costs them money to upgrade the network, she says.
It ends with the electrician disconnecting 38 of the 54 installed solar cells, so that the plant will not send out more than 6.4 kW to the power grid. As a result, she received a notice of completion for 16 solar panels, instead of the 54 solar panels that have actually been purchased and installed.
Lose the right to substantial Enova support
As if it wasn’t enough that Rebekka lost 70 percent of the capacity of her solar system, a new problem appeared:
The financial support from Enova can only be applied for after a solar cell system has been put into production. But those regulations are not designed for customers who end up in Rebekka’s situation.
– You cannot apply for Enova before the completion notification has been sent, and you cannot apply multiple times. So even if the bill is for the entire facility, we risk only getting around NOK 15,000 in support, and not NOK 48,000, she says.
Nor can she wait until the network company corrects the problem. There is an application deadline approaching.
– Glitre Nett does nothing, they just say “we will pass on the inquiry”, she says in frustration.
The online company: More and more customers will be able to experience this
Glitre confirms to Nettavisen that they have a significant challenge with the large influx of new solar panels.
– Glitre Nett, like most other network companies in the country, has noticed a large increase in inquiries about the connection of new solar systems. From New Year’s until 1 May this year, the number of plus customers in Agder increased by almost 30 per cent. There are now close to 2,500 plus customers in Agder, and the number is expected to rise sharply in the future.
– It is the network company that is responsible for the voltage quality in the power grid. With an ever-increasing number of customers who want to supply power to the low-voltage grid, we will soon find ourselves in a situation where it will be full in some places. The power grid simply does not have the capacity to receive more production until it is expanded and reinforced. This is the situation with the relevant customer at Evje in this case, says communications manager Nils Tore Augland in Glitre Nett.
He is clear that it is the network company’s responsibility to upgrade.
– This is something we are continuously working on, but we are increasingly seeing that solar systems are appearing in places where the new overall production cannot be fed into the current power grid without reinforcements both on lines and grid stations. In this particular case, the customer has installed a solar cell system with a production which, as of today, exceeds what is possible to supply in the electricity grid. Glitre Nett has therefore notified the installer that it is not operationally sound to deliver more than 6.4 kW before reinforcement in the line network has been completed. The installer has passed this information on to the customer.
He says that reinforcements have already been planned in Rebekka’s area.
– We hope to start this work in autumn 2023.
But according to Glitre, there will be more of this type of problem in the future:
– Five years ago, an average solar cell system in Agder was 3-4 kW, while today it is well over 10 kW. This triggers a need to both reinforce and build a new low-voltage network, which the network company’s customers must pay for in addition to the network rent. In the long run, this could lead to higher net rent. Strengthening and developing the power grid takes time – considerably longer than it takes to install a solar cell system. Therefore, more and more customers who install solar systems may find that they are not supplied with parts of the electricity they produce when they want it, and this is unfortunately the case in this specific case at Evje, he concludes.
2023-06-03 20:36:30
#Rebekka #solar #panel #received #shock #message
