There is snow on the ground and clouds in the sky above Mysen in Indre Østfold on this December day. Nevertheless, the sunny conditions here are most important for the fitters who have come here.
– The roof has a good angle and faces south, so there are good conditions for solar cells, says Kristoffer Liset, project manager at Solcellespesialisten.
Installers Thomas Løken and Dag Ivar Bernskog from Solcellespesialisten install solar cells on the roof.
Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / NRK
The company will install 22 solar panels on the roof of Cristian Bühler’s house. This gives an installed power of almost 9 kilowatts.
– It can provide approximately 10,000 kilowatt-hours over the course of a year. But of course it depends on the weather, says Liset, while two installers lift the panel from the ground onto the scaffolding.
Record high interest
Never before have so many home owners invested in solar systems as this year, figures from the energy and climate company Enova show. The state-owned enterprise provides support for solar cells and some other technology that produces electricity or saves energy.
– Twice as many as last year have applied for support for solar cells this year, says marketing director Anna Theodora Barnwell at Enova.
Photo: Bent Lindsetmo / NRK
– Twice as many as last year have applied for support for solar cells this year. And last year was also a record year, says Anna Theodora Barnwell, marketing manager for services and end use at Enova.
Before Christmas, almost 10,500 home owners had applied for subsidies from Enova for solar systems. This is therefore a doubling from last year – and approximately 20 times more than just six years ago, in 2017.
– High electricity prices are probably the most important reason why more people invest in solar cells, believes Kristoffer Liset.
– Lower electricity bills will be part of my pension, says 66-year-old Cristian Bühler.
Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / NRK
More solar power than hydropower
Hydroelectric power plants account for the vast majority of electricity production in Norway. Solar power is still vanishingly small in the grand scheme of things. But it increases rapidly.
In 2023, much more solar power (295 MW) than hydropower (182 MW) measured in installed powershows numbers from Electric hub.
It includes all solar power, not just that which is produced on the roofs of residential buildings.
The estimated annual production of solar power in this country is now 0.454 TWh.
There is therefore a long way to go before reaching the Storting’s target of 8 TWh of solar power per year by 2030.
But the solar system on the roof of Cristian Bühler in Mysen in Indre Østfold is in any case a step on the way.
– Exciting
– I think it’s exciting, I have to admit it. Now we need to get such an app started and hopefully see the kilowatts ticking in, he says.
Bühler adds that he sees lower electricity bills as “part of the pension” in the years to come.
His solar system costs NOK 186,000. From this he can deduct almost NOK 19,000 in contributions from Enova, and thus ends up with NOK 167,000.
Enova now provides an average of NOK 22,500 in support for a solar cell system in residential buildings. The support was reduced somewhat from 1 October.
– The electricity price is an important reason why many invest in solar systems, says Kristoffer Liset, project manager at Solcellespesialisten.
Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / NRK
Repayment period
The cost of getting solar cells on the roof varies, among other things, with the supplier, where the house is located and what type of house and roof it is that will have the solar panels.
– Including support from Enova, an average detached house will cost around NOK 120,000 for a solar system. Some cost more, others less, says Kristoffer Liset at Solar Cell Specialist.
– How long does it take before the facility is paid off?
– It is very difficult to say, because it depends a lot on the price of electricity in the coming years. But I’m guessing seven or eight years.
– How long do the solar cells last?
– We envisage a lifespan of 30 years. Then they won’t stop working, but technology has come a long way and it might be time to replace them, says Liset.
Thomas Løken (left) and Dag Ivar Bernskog working on the roof.
Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / NRK
Produces a little even at the darkest time of the year
It is usually assumed that solar cells can cover a quarter of the electricity consumption in a detached house. Production is greatest from March to October.
When the plant is finished, Cristian Bühler uses the app on his phone to look at the electricity production. A few days later, on 19 December, there was some sun but also some clouds. Nor had snow settled on the solar panels. On the phone, the homeowner says that during the day until 3:00 p.m. the plant has delivered 6.5 kilowatt-hours of electricity.
– In the very darkest time of the year, I don’t think it’s so bad. It probably helps that the roof is rather steep, says Bühler.
Cristian Bühler’s house in Mysen after the solar system has been installed.
Photo: Cristian Bühler / private
2023-12-30 18:25:17
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