Norway Installed Over 166 MW New Solar Capacity In 2024

The Norwegian solar PV market declined by over 45% year-on-year (YoY) in 2024 with over 166 MW of new capacity installed during the year, compared to the record annual high of 306 MW in 2023, according to the statistics available on the website of Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE). 

Solar power generated around 580 GWh of clean energy for the country’s energy system last year. At the end of 2024, its cumulative installed solar PV capacity stood at 768.15 MW.  

Norway has primarily been a wind and hydropower market and, thanks to these, the country is already over 90% renewable energy powered. In 2024, it experienced stable electricity prices after several years of large fluctuations thanks to ample rain and wind, according to the government’s central IT system Elhub.

Hydropower continued to be the engine of the country’s electricity system accounting for almost 90% of the country’s electricity production in 2024. Wind energy was next with close to 9% share, thermal 2.35%, and solar pitching in with 0.25%.  

However, Elhub notes that even with hydropower as the clear largest contributor, solar power continues to grow, producing close to 250 GWh in 2024, compared to 170 GWh in 2023. It adds that its data does not include solar production for self-consumption. It does see the concept of shared local electricity production gaining traction in 2025, especially if an energy-sharing scheme for renewable energy for industrial areas comes into force.

Norway has been a significant presence in European upstream solar PV production; however, it has been facing rough times of late. Local solar ingot and wafer producers Norwegian Crystals and NorSun have both filed for bankruptcy, with the latter shifting focus to the US where it is building a 5 GW solar wafer fab (see European Solar Wafer Maker NorSun Filing For Bankruptcy).