Norway is an European country that seems to understand that solar energy along with other renewables is the way towards a greener future.
Renewable Resources Available in Norway
Having great resources of hydroelectric power, wind and solar energy, Norway already started to harvest in late 1800s the power of its rivers that are reaching the fiords through numerous cascades.
Due to this fact, today, more than 50 percent of the country’s energy is produced by hydroelectric power stations, and the rest a combination of fossil fuels and renewable energy.
However, the country’s interest to shift to 100 percent renewables, has generated a massive investment in onshore wind turbines, and nowadays in solar energy.
Solar Power in Norway
Many buildings in Norway (including here homes and commercial properties) are now equipped with smart meters, which allow them to harvest solar energy, store it and even sell it back to the utility company to power other consumers.
This way, solar power has become a smart investment that increased people’s interest into renewable energy and green living.
A large number of companies are now interested to install solar panels on commercial buildings because solar energy is a free source of electricity that allows them to reduce their expenses on energy bills on the long term.
Because Norway has four months of snow, cold weather and almost no sun every year, several companies have decided to study the solar technology and create materials and solutions that could work well in these specific weather conditions.
From a country that was a world exporter of oil and natural gas for more than five decades, Norway is now moving towards a greener future where the country is more connected to nature and uses its natural resources in a smarter way.
A Nation that Loves to Spend Time in Nature
Being a nation that loves to spend the weekends and the holidays outside in nature (in the woods, on the mountains, or on the shore), Norway is a country open towards green and smart ways of harnessing the power of the Sun.
This way, the country has become an attractive market for solar cells, and a place where solar energy is used in wide variety of ways.
Using hydroelectric power (a renewable resource) as the main source of energy in the country, Norway has become a great place for solar cell production because the energy used in the manufacturing process is also renewable (hydro).
Making the Switch from Conventional Power to Renewables
Using renewable energy instead of conventional power to produce solar cells, all the solar PV panels produced in the country are cleaner.
According to solcellepaneler.com norwegian commercial buildings are adopting solar panels fast because the roof areas of the commercial buildings (which are quite large) receive a huge amount of sunlight during the day and this energy is wasted if the roof is not covered by solar panels.
Solar panels could also be placed on the walls of the commercial buildings because these buildings are larger than regular homes, so the wall surface that can be covered with solar cells is much higher.
The clean electricity produced this way by commercial buildings can be used to power a charging station for electric vehicles.
Conclusion
Cleaning the country’s air and turning the commercial buildings into small solar power stations is another step towards Norway’s green future.
