ノルウェーの太陽光市場が鈍化、バッテリーの普及が進む

Mette Kristine Kanestrøm, Head of Solar, Storage and Smart Grids at Multiconsult, tells pv magazine that while solar deployment has halted through the first months of the year, increasing battery deployment and emerging utility-scale projects offer new opportunties. The post Norway’s solar market slows as batteries gain traction appeared first on pv magazine Global . Mette Kristine Kanestrøm, Head of Solar, Storage and Smart Grids at Multiconsult, tells pv magazine that while solar deployment has halted through the first months of the year, increasing battery deployment and emerging utility-scale projects offer new opportunties. The post Norway’s solar market slows as batteries gain traction appeared first on pv magazine Global . Norway’s solar deployment slowed in early 2026. According to figures published by the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), cumulative solar capacity reached 903 MW by the end of May, a 27 MW increase on the 876 MW reported at the end of 2025. Speaking to pv magazine during the Smarter E event in Munich, Germany, Mette Kristine Kanestrøm, Head of Solar, Storage and Smart Grids at Norweigian consultancy Multiconsult, attributed the slowdown to lower electricity prices, high interest rates and government intervention designed to shield households from volatile power costs. “Solar is on a rollercoaster journey in Norway,” she said. “We had a lot of activity in Norway in previous years, doubling capacity from one year to another. Then power prices started to decrease and interest rates started to increase and by 2023, 2024, we started to see that installations were slowing down.” Household solar stalls after price reforms Kanestrøm said Norway’s government-backed household electricity price support scheme has removed much of the economic incentive for residential solar adoption. Households can cap their electricity price at NOK 0.40 ($0.041)/kWh under the state-sponsored Norgespris (Norway price) scheme. Kanestrøm told pv magazine the mechanism means there is currently no incentives for residents to try to control their consumption during the day. She explained that while rooftop PV may still be economically viable for many households, the perception of guaranteed affordable electricity has severely impacted demand. “Now there is no activity in the household market at all,” she said. This is reflected in NVE’s most recent statistics, which show the cumulative capacity of solar systems less than 20 kW in size has increased by just 2 MW this year so far. Future electricity demand concerns Kanestrøm warned that the current policy approach could create longer-term challenges as Norway electrifies transport, heating and industry. “When you don’t have to think about power prices, you use more,” she said. “If everyone is going to electrify, we need more electricity. We’re going to get to a point where we don’t have enough renewables.” She also noted that Norway’s hydropower-dominated system faces near-term supply pressures due to unusually low reservoir levels following a year with limited rainfall and snowfall. “This summer, the power prices are going to be high,” she predicted, in reference to commercial and industrial consumers who are not covered by the household support measures. Battery storage gains traction While solar deployment has slowed, Kanestrøm said battery energy storage is becoming one of the most dynamic segments of Norway’s energy transition. “We see more interest in batteries,” she said. “Batteries are connecting to wind power, hydropower, charging stations and data centers.” Grid congestion and growing demand for flexibility services are helping to drive investment, while rising balancing market revenues are creating additional business opportunities. “Batteries are also coming in because we have issues with balancing the grid,” Kanestrøm explained. “There are different kinds of battery solutions actually entering the market at the moment.” Although Sweden has recently seen batteries stimulate new solar investments , Kanestrøm said Norway has not yet reached that stage. However, she expects the two technologies to become increasingly linked in the future. Utility-scale solar potential One of the most significant developments in Norway’s solar market is the emergence of larger ground-mounted projects, a segment that has historically remained small. “There are a few ground-mounted projects coming up now,” said Kanestrøm. “Each one, I think, has a battery together with it.” She highlighted the forthcoming Seval Skog project , a proposed 46 MW agrivoltaic array which could become Norway’s largest ground-mounted solar installation if it reaches a final investment decision later this year. Despite the current downturn, Kanestrøm remains optimistic about Norway’s longer-term solar potential. Previous research has shown rooftop PV could supply up to 20% of national electricity demand, while solar generation complements hydropower and wind resources during key periods of the year. Kanestrøm added that there are early signs of renewed interest from industrial clients and other business units within Multiconsult. “Hopefully we’ll see that the market is going up again,” she said. “I’m optimistic.” The post Norway’s solar market slows as batteries gain traction appeared first on pv magazine Global .