The world’s need for energy supply is increasing, and fortunately there is a lot of dedication towards the development of renewable energy.  In this context, Norway is often referred to as being Europe’s battery.  But what exactly does this mean?

Agva Kraft is buying guarantees of origin for all energy the company sells.  This allows for more money to flow towards producers of renewable energy, which in turn makes it more attractive for businesses to set up new renewable based power generation. Combined with carbon taxes and carbon credits, these are all important measures for the market to take when contributing to solving energy and environmental problems.

According to Bjørn Arctander, the Marketing Director of Agva Kraft, fossil power is being replaced by solar and wind energy all over Europe. Our hope is for expansion to take place at such a rapid pace that the highly pollutive coal power sector becomes unprofitable and obsolete’.

Wind and solar energy are naturally dependant on respectively the wind and sun. And what if the wind is not blowing simultaneously as the sky is overcast?

’This is where power storage comes into play’, says Arctander. ’The development of battery systems in industries and households are rapidly being implemented, and we will probably find more and more technical solutions for these as we move forward.  The huge water reservoirs we find in Norway, among other places, are where you will find the largest capacity for storing energy, as they more or less act like natural ’batteries’. Hydropower is extremely flexible as production can quickly be turned on and off as long as there is water in the reservoirs.  Under normal circumstances you can visualize all of Euope, including Norway, being powered by wind and solar power’.

In Norway, solar power is also paying off, especially during the summer as we have plenty of hours of sun’, says Arctander. When this natural resource is no longer is avalable during the winter, northern coutries such as Norway and Sweden, as well as Switzerland can tap into energy stored in their reservoirs. That way we have renewable energy at all times from resources like wind, sun and water.

A system as described above is reliant on efficient power exchanges through powerlines between markets. According to Arctander, ’this could lead to more expensive electricity, but we have to remember that Norway as a huge power generator will benefit from this in the long run’.

Bjørn Arctander in Agva Kraft finishes off by saying, ’After all, we would never consider shutting down the possibility of transporting oil out of the country in order to keep lower gas prices at home, or to drop exporting fish altogether to acheive lower salmon prices on our store shelves.’

Read more about the green energy, how Norway potentially can transform the energy market in Europe and other energy initiatives of Agva Kraft on the Agva blog or the Agva website.