12 WHY NORWAY AS A GREEN BATTERY …
309
Unlike what we proposed earlier, the green battery is not edging any
closer to fruition. True, in the long term, our prediction is a future
with more cables (but not many), primarily because the Labor Party only
supports a pause. Also, as wind power costs keep falling, wind power will
become competitive even without green certificates. Hence, Norway will
install more wind turbines, conceivably paving the way for larger exports.
Thus, a somewhat more comprehensive and extensive power exchange
is a likely future outcome. However, in the short term, developments
are edging in the opposite direction. There will be no new cables in
the immediate future, while post-2021 the pace of wind power installations will slow down because of the expiration of the green certificates
and popular opposition based primarily on nature conservation. Hence,
neither prerequisite for the green battery is currently being fulfilled.
Notes
1. Industries that have an indirect stake in pollution regulation because they
make inputs or generate wastes linked to pollution (Kelsey 2018).
2. This is not always true. The Japanese utility companies have for instance
traditionally had strong allegiances to nuclear power (Moe 2012).
3. Norway exports almost eight times more energy than it consumes
(Godzimirski 2014).
4. The commitment is to the joint financing of 28.4 TWh. This goal was
reached in May 2019: 20 TWh in Sweden and 8.4 TWh in Norway, more
than half of the Norwegian contribution from hydropower (Kraftnytt
2019).
5. In comparison, Denmark has over 6 GW, Sweden nearly 9 GW, and
Germany above 60 GW (IRENA 2020).
6. WindEurope’s (2019) projections are based on Europe meeting 30% of
its 2050 electricity demand by offshore wind. Norway’s projected share is
30 GW from a total of 450 GW.
7. Frøya, Flatanger, Sandnes, Kvinesdal (Kommunal Rapport 2019).
8. Manifest Tankesmie (2019) claims that for every 10 øre (e0.01) price
increase per kWh, the power companies gain an extra NOK13.5 billion
(e1.35 billion).
9. The research program CEDREN was funded by the Norwegian Research
Council and 15 Norwegian power companies, with Statkraft having the
chairman of the board (Manifest Tankesmie 2019).
10. In the summer, Norway tends to have a rather large surplus, being a
season with high production and low consumption. The opposite is the
case in the winter.
309
Unlike what we proposed earlier, the green battery is not edging any
closer to fruition. True, in the long term, our prediction is a future
with more cables (but not many), primarily because the Labor Party only
supports a pause. Also, as wind power costs keep falling, wind power will
become competitive even without green certificates. Hence, Norway will
install more wind turbines, conceivably paving the way for larger exports.
Thus, a somewhat more comprehensive and extensive power exchange
is a likely future outcome. However, in the short term, developments
are edging in the opposite direction. There will be no new cables in
the immediate future, while post-2021 the pace of wind power installations will slow down because of the expiration of the green certificates
and popular opposition based primarily on nature conservation. Hence,
neither prerequisite for the green battery is currently being fulfilled.
Notes
1. Industries that have an indirect stake in pollution regulation because they
make inputs or generate wastes linked to pollution (Kelsey 2018).
2. This is not always true. The Japanese utility companies have for instance
traditionally had strong allegiances to nuclear power (Moe 2012).
3. Norway exports almost eight times more energy than it consumes
(Godzimirski 2014).
4. The commitment is to the joint financing of 28.4 TWh. This goal was
reached in May 2019: 20 TWh in Sweden and 8.4 TWh in Norway, more
than half of the Norwegian contribution from hydropower (Kraftnytt
2019).
5. In comparison, Denmark has over 6 GW, Sweden nearly 9 GW, and
Germany above 60 GW (IRENA 2020).
6. WindEurope’s (2019) projections are based on Europe meeting 30% of
its 2050 electricity demand by offshore wind. Norway’s projected share is
30 GW from a total of 450 GW.
7. Frøya, Flatanger, Sandnes, Kvinesdal (Kommunal Rapport 2019).
8. Manifest Tankesmie (2019) claims that for every 10 øre (e0.01) price
increase per kWh, the power companies gain an extra NOK13.5 billion
(e1.35 billion).
9. The research program CEDREN was funded by the Norwegian Research
Council and 15 Norwegian power companies, with Statkraft having the
chairman of the board (Manifest Tankesmie 2019).
10. In the summer, Norway tends to have a rather large surplus, being a
season with high production and low consumption. The opposite is the
case in the winter.