The Norwegian government announced it has defined planned regulatory changes to allow surplus renewable power from plants up to 5 MW to be shared within industrial areas.
The new provisions will exempt related PV or renewable energy systems from electricity taxes and grid fees. “The exemption from electricity taxes and grid fees will increase the profitability of PV systems and other forms of renewable electricity,” said Energy Minister Terje Aasland.
The scheme allows a renewable energy producer to share power within the same property and with nearby properties if they are part of the same commercial or industrial area. These areas are defined as geographically delimited zones where commercial or industrial activities are co-located and share common infrastructure. C&I buildings in urban and city center areas will not be eligible to participate.
The Norwegian Energy Regulatory Authority (RME) and the Ministry of Energy will prepare guidelines defining which commercial or industrial areas qualify for the program.
The new rules are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
“The scheme will be particularly relevant for PV systems deployed in industrial areas,” Aasland said in December, when the new regulation was announced. “Restricting the scheme to these areas facilitates the sharing of surplus solar power production for a number of businesses where this may be relevant. At the same time, such a restriction contributes to geographical proximity between production and consumption.”
Norway deployed 148.68 MW of solar in 2024, pushing its cumulative installed PV capacity past 750 MW.
A study published in July calculated the technical potential of installing solar on buildings and rooftops across Norway. The researchers concluded that the country has the potential to deploy up to 31 GW on its buildings.
