Everyone is talking about the power price increases, and the whole world seems to be affected by the same issue, but people usually don’t quite understand what that really means. To be even blunter, most people don’t even know what electricity is, and why those price increases occur in the first place. On the other hand, those who know a bit about this are wondering if Norway has enough power to sustain the life of the country and its citizens, and that’s undeniably a rather significant question to answer.
Of course, such a question cannot be answered without understanding the basics. And, of course, the basics you need to understand are related to the actual nature of electricity, meaning you need to be sure you know what it is before we can proceed to answering the question that’s on your mind. Of course, there’s also a lot of talk of the power balance, which is another concept confusing the general public, as most don’t really get what’s meant by that. Since it’s directly related to the future of your country, and your future for that matter, it’s also of utmost significance for you to find out what the power balance actually is as well.
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Hva Er Strøm and Does Norway Have Enough Power?
So, the article before you will answer three rather significant questions that every Norwegian citizen should ask themselves. Those are – hva er strøm, i.e. what is electricity, what is the power balance, and does Norway have enough power? Hoping to make a confusing topic much simpler, I’ll provide you with those answers below, helping you finally understand the price fluctuations and check out what the future holds in terms of electricity. After reading, you’ll no longer be in the dark (pun intended) about this entire topic.
What Exactly Is Electricity?
Defined as an electrical charge in motion, current is actually a set of waves or particles that move through the electric field. As you may remember from your physics classes a long time ago, electricity consists of protons, electrons and neutrons. With protons being the positively charged particles, electrons being the negatively charged ones, and neutrons being uncharged. Different charges attract each other, while the same ones repel each other, and current is created by electrons moving from one field to another.
The next significant thing to understand is that electrical voltages have both a positively and a negatively charged pole, with voltage flowing from the plus sign to the minus sign. This is actually why batteries are marked with those signs. Now, voltage is the main guy here, so to speak, as it is the force that actually drives electrons through the circuit. It is measured in Volts (V), and the voltage in the Norwegian home sockets are at 230V.
By connecting an electrical conductor to a voltage source, you get electricity. And, naturally, the greater the voltage in a specific circuit, the stronger the current. There are two types of current to distinguish between here, called alternating and direct current. The alternating one, obviously, regularly changes direction, meaning that the same amount of current will flow in both directions in the conductor. On the other hand, direct current is the one that flows in one direction only, and it is actually possible to convert the alternating into direct current.
Energy supply is nowadays, not only in Norway, but in the whole wide world, based on alternating current, as this type comes with numerous advantages in terms of production and transmission. Furthermore, today’s power grids allow for alternating current to be transported over rather large distances, with the current first receiving high voltage, which then moves through the wires, until you get the 230V you need in your home.
Today in Norway, we have a central grid that is almost entirely owned by a company called Statnett, which is in the ownership of the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. Its responsibility is to build, operate and maintain the Norwegian power system. Apart from it, though, there are also regional grids and distribution grids, as the electricity from the central grid has to be transported to the distributional grids, which then transports it from the regional grid to the end consumers. The network companies operating those grids are also state owned, with the regional grids usually being owned by municipalities.
Why the Price Increases?
Why are we experiencing the price increases, though? As much as 90% of Norwegian power supply consists of hydropower, although there’s also some wind power to rely on as well. Thus, we are dependent on rainfall to produce electricity, meaning that little rainfall can reduce the supply for a certain period of time. The great thing, though, is that the country has the option of storing the energy. This still doesn’t explain the increases, does it?
Well, here goes. The sale and purchase of electricity happens on the Nordic electricity exchange mentioned already, Nord Pole. Other Northern European countries shop there as well. So, shortages in other countries will lead to greater demand, and supply shortages and demand boosts will always lead to increased prices.
What Is the Power Balance?
The power balance is actually the relationship between production and consumption of power, and year after year, there are large fluctuations in the balance. When there’s not a good balance, a country needs to import electricity. In Norway, this usually happens during the winter, as there are issues in producing enough electricity, while the consumption will increase due to harsh weather. Stable supply is, thus, achieved through imports.
Does Norway Have Enough Power?
It is estimated that Norway is sufficient in electricity in 9 out of 10 years. Naturally, when there’s a surplus, it is exported, and when there’s a shortage, it is imported. Given that electricity consumption increases year after year, it is not clear whether Norway will be able to produce enough electricity in the future. Meaning, the country may have to rely more on importing to secure good and stable supply to its citizens. And, importing also leads to higher costs.