New Enova rules put a stop to solar cells for housing associations and condominiums – Greater Oslo

Øvre Sogn Borettslag is among those who have given up.

They wanted to be part of the green shift and save money on electricity.

The housing association at Gaustad therefore wanted to install solar panels on the roof of a shared garage. They were to use the electricity to charge the residents’ electric cars.

Now the plans have been put on hold.

– Disappointing, thinks board member Karl Aksel Festø in the housing association.

Oslo’s scheme closed down

The problems arose when Oslo municipality’s own support scheme disappeared. It was closed down last autumn because the state-owned Enova created a new scheme for the whole country.

– When we started, we had a support scheme from Oslo municipality, says board member Karl Aksel Festø.

– Then it disappeared, and when we checked the support scheme for Enova, we saw that it does not work for us as the project is now. It is more complex. The scheme of Oslo municipality was easier to deal with, he says.

Must cover at least 20 percent

One of the new requirements for housing associations is that a measure must cover at least 20 per cent of the total electricity consumption in the housing association.

This is something that the Øvre Sogn housing association with 118 housing units is struggling with. The alternative is to put solar panels on the terraced house roofs as well. It will be too expensive.

And the housing association in Oslo west is not alone.

– Has stopped

– Things have stopped. The Enova scheme does not cover the projects we have. They don’t get support, says general manager Terje Borkenhagen of the solar company Enny, which Obos and Hafslund are behind.

Enny now works almost exclusively with projects on commercial buildings, no longer in housing associations.

– The main reason is that Enova requires a 20 percent energy reduction. This type of housing association does not achieve that, he says.

He says that in that case they have to do other things at the same time, such as re-insulating and replacing windows. And then it quickly becomes too expensive, even with support.

– I think it’s a shame. There are large projects that are not realized, says Terje Borkenhagen.

Consequences of EU rules

Oslo municipality agreed to grant subsidies to 34 pure solar cell projects in housing associations and condominiums from September 2022 to October 2023. This is shown by figures NRK has received from the Climate Agency.

After they took over, Enova has given support to 50 projects throughout the country within the scheme “Improvement of the energy situation in housing associations».

But: They cannot say whether there are pure solar cell projects among these.

– It is up to the applicant to decide which energy measures will be implemented to achieve the goal of a 20 percent energy improvement.

– We currently do not have statistics on how many of these include solar cells, but it is something we are working to put in place, says senior adviser Fredrik Bengtsen.

He says that the limit of 20 per cent is not something that Enova has decided, but is set so as not to break the EU regulations on state aid.

The green shift

Karl Aksel Festø says that many in the housing association are concerned with the green shift.

– So it wasn’t just financially motivated. But then we see that we have a large electricity consumption in the garage and a large roof that is not used for anything sensible.

– What will be needed to get the project started again?

– A support scheme from Oslo municipality will probably trigger a new assessment by the board, says Festø.

– Desperate

– It is very disappointing, says SV’s Sunniva Holmås Eidsvoll.

She is a leader in Oslo SV and a group leader in the city council. SV now proposes to reintroduce a subsidy scheme for projects that fail at Enova.

– We must get the sun back on the city’s roofs. Then we need to put in place a support scheme in the city that will enable us to make progress.

The proposal consists of 13 points. Here are some of them:

• New municipal support scheme for projects that do not qualify for support from Enova.
• An arrangement where Oslo municipality “adds on” the support to Enova-approved projects so that it is increased from 30 to 50 per cent.
• Free energy advice.
• Less bureaucracy around applications and projects.

Degradation of nature

SV has long been concerned with solar cells on roofs. The potential is great, and the projects are usually less controversial than the development of hydro and wind power.

– We don’t have time to wait. We must build out solar cells now if we are to cut greenhouse gas emissions, cut people’s electricity bills, and not least stop the degradation of nature that other types of degradation of nature lead to, says Oslo’s SV-topp.