In the wake of a rapidly changing climate, renewable energy is becoming more and more popular around the globe. Norway is known for harvesting water power and wind power in great quantities, given its mountainous and windy environment. Another renewable energy source which has been considered as not very practical in Norway, however, is the solarpanel. Why? Because Norway is not exactly the country which experiences the most sun each year. This is especially the case for Bergen, which has about 250 days of rain each year.
But what if we told you that solarpanels are becoming a hit in Bergen? What if we told you that, despite the horrid amounts of rain and lack of sun, we can still produce a lot of environmently friendly, renewable energy with solarpanels?
For example, did you know that Ulsmåg Elementary School in Bergen has a solarpanel as large as 40 square feet? With this panel, you can actually watch how much power is being produced.
The sun hits the earth with dizzying amounts of energy, every single second. What if we could use this energy to heat our own house? There are more and more people who consider mounting a solarpanel on their own roof. Surplus production can be sold to the local electricity firm. A normal objection, which often makes the interested person a bit more hesitant, is the number of sunny days in Bergen.
“How much will a solarpanel in Bergen actually give in the form of profits?” Now we have the answer.
An example
Ulsmåg Elementary School has a solarpanel as large as 40 square feet. This facility supplies the entire school with its minimum needs for warm water. With the average household solarpanel being about four to eight square feet large, this means that you should easily be able to cover your warm water expenses with this renewable energy source. And if you choose to extend your solarpanel use to your cabin (if you have one), it might even be enough to power the entire cabin’s electricity expenditure.
From time to time, the school produces more electricity than it needs. The facility produces 6,6 kWp. The unit kWp (kilo watt peak) is used to tell us about number of kilowatts a solarpanel can produce in perfect conditions.
Anyone who wishes to watch the power production at Ulsmåg Elementary School can do so by going to their website. The overview shows day by day, month by month, how much electricity the facility produces. It’s fun to follow the development. And it’s easy to see on which days in February the sun was shining.
Ulsmåg Elementary School is just one of the examples of why solarpanels are becoming a hit in Bergen. They can make a big difference, they help the environment, and despite the relatively few sunny days in Bergen, they will still be able to produce a lot of electricity.
Join the movement
Do you want to install a solarpanel on your roof today, or just learn more about the costs, as well as the upsides and downsides with such an investment?
A Bergen based company called Solcelleexperten has since 2015 had a continual focus on sustainable and smart energy solutions and with the help of Elektriker Bergen, they have made a huge impact in the market. They strive to be one of the most important driving forces for solarpanels to become mainstream on the Norwegian market and in people’s awareness. On their website you can perform an estimate of how much electricity you can expect to be produced from your roof. You can also fill out the production estimate in a calculator, and see what savings you might earn for your household.