The Potential and Challenges of Solar Photovoltaic in Norway - A Multi-Level Perspective Study on the Transition of Electricity Production Market in Norway

Abstract

The installed global solar panel capacity has rocketed since the last decade. After ratifying the Paris Agreement in April 2016, Norway agreed to fulfill their specific goal of 40% reduction of GHG emissions in 2030. Therefore, the electricity production from the Norwegian solar panel has been growing faster than ever before since 2018. However, the solar energy contribution to the Norwegian electricity production sector was still minimal. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to clarify the potential of solar PV installation market in Norway and to explore the role of Solar PV by the Multi-Level Perspective Framework.

A qualitative measure was conducted based on a research question to explain the installation of grid-connected PV capacity developed in Norway up to 2018. The findings indicated that Norwegian government played a key role in particular the financial aspect to facilitate solar PV installation market and respondents had positive outlook towards the market.

The salient point raised in this thesis is that despite the Norwegian policymakers have a very clear goal to maintain the security of supply in the Nordic region and to contribute to the European climate, any policies that is benefit to the environment should be put in top priority. Researchers should not underestimate the research value of solar PV in Norway together with storage technology. While power companies should cooperate with R&D institutions to gain knowledge and enrich the competence base of solar PV since power companies play a crucial role to promote solar PV installation especially to the private market.