Waterfalls and Hydropower in Norway

Facts

Hydropower adds up to nearly 19 percent of the world’s production of power. In Norway it represents approximately 99 percent of the total electric power produced. Norway is significant producer of hydropower, as well as in the international context.
The amount of power produced in Norway is the highest in Europe, with a sum of 120 TWh per annum. Sweden and France follow each one with about 65 TWh on a yearly basis.
Around 86 percent of electricity that is generated from renewable around the world nowadays originates from hydropower.
The expertise that Norway has in hydropower and its varied competence fields is globally very powerful.
This capability, which is regular fro every type of hydropower plants, touches domains such as hydrology, construction, environment, civil engineering in addition to machines such as power electronics.

Status

Hydropower is essential for Norway, and the activities in progress relates mostly to the restoration and improvement of existing plants, on top of the construction of hydropower of small scales ( less than 10MW). Furthermore there is the day-to-day operation, maintenance and licensing. In the days to come, hydropower will progressively become more important to stabilize the production of power from a regime which comprises of a rising production from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy.

There is great potential to construct new hydropower plants worldwide. It is calculated that hardly 25 – 30 percent of all installations that are economically feasible are exploited up to now. With a rising significance given to climate subject matters in relation to the production of energy, hydropower will consist of the solution, since hydropower does not add much to the emission of greenhouse gases.

Source: Hydropower In Norway

Energy Resources

The ratio of natural energy resources per capita is very high in Norway, with hydropower representing the most important resource. The country’s topography and hydrological status results in concentrated rainfall in the western areas leading in turn to high run-off through waterfalls and river systems. A multitude of natural lakes and waters at high altitudes in sparsely populated or uninhabited mountain areas has made it possible to construct a series of dams and regulation reservoirs that can store water from the spring, summer and autumn for use during the subsequent winter.

The other important resource for the domestic energy supply is petroleum from the Norwegian continental shelf. It is estimated that Norway’s overall petroleum deposits amount to 13.2 billion Sm3 oe. While most of Norway’s petroleum products are exported, the resources used at home are utilized in the production of fuel for vehicles, for domestic and industrial heating and as a raw material for the petro-chemical industry.

Coal is extracted in Spitsbergen on the Svalbard archipelago, but does not comprise a significant component of the mainland energy supply.

In addition to hydropower, Norway’s renewable energy resources include wave power, solar energy, wind power and biomass. Together, these alternatives could supply some 20 TWh per annum. Norway has the potential to exploit wind energy, especially in coastal areas, but the cost of the facilities remains high. Electrically-powered heat pumps for the exploitation of heat from the soil and other surroundings can also be used to meet some of the demand for heating.

Housing is generally built so as to make maximum use of the natural heat of the sun. Direct solar heat is also utilized in special niche areas, such as solar panels for lighting, radio and television equipment in holiday cottages. Biomass, i.e. wood chippings and other biological material from agriculture and industry, is used to some degree but has not yet reached its full potential. Wave energy has been the subject of extensive research, but has thus far only been introduced on a small scale.

Photos: CH/Visitnorway.com

Source: Edited from Aschehoug and Gyldendal's Norwegian Encyclopedia / Asbjørn Vinjar